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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2022 with funding from 
Princeton Theological Seminary Library 


https ://archive.org/details/pioneeringforchrOOveen 


PIONEERING FOR CHRIST 
IN THE SUDAN 


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Pioneering for Christ 
in the Sudan 





C By A 





ohanna Veenstra 
(Sudan United Mission) 


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Sixth Thousand 


SMITTER BOOK COMPANY 
Publishers 
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., U.S. A. 













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Copyright, 1926 Sy 
| SMITTER BOOK COMPANY rea |? 


GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 


_ ws 


DEDICATED 


TO THE MEMORY OF 
MY BELOVED FATHER 


THE LATE REV. WILLIAM VEENSTRA 


(1868—1902) 





BOARD ANBAR AAD BAA AD BRAD AD BD AD RE 


IPA I, SEAL (Gs tas 


\ HEN coming home for this second furlough, there was not 

even a remote desire in my heart to write a book and tell of 
my experiences during five years of service in the Dark Continent. 
I have never thought myself capable of performing such a task; 
and even now I hesitate to set this work before the public. 

One day this summer our kind Director of Missions, Dr. H. 
Beets (Christian Reformed Church), approached me on this sub- 
ject of writing a book. At first his suggestion made no impression 
whatsoever upon my mind. Later on I was confronted with the 
fact that I was compelled to refuse many invitations to speak in 
the different churches and tell of the Lord’s work in the Sudan. 
For lack of time it became impossible to travel about in so many 
states of the Union and in Canada, to reach all the people inter- 
ested in the spread of the gospel in this needy field. A physical 
complication—overstrain of the vocal cords—also forced me to 
limit the amount of speaking appointments. 

Then I began to pray about the matter of writing a book, so 
that all who are interested in the work, the problems, and the 
fruit of the gospel message among the Dzompere, a cannibal tribe 
in Central Africa whereunto the Lord has called me, might have 
opportunity to know the facts. It seemed more and more clear 
that I was to heed the suggestion of Dr. Beets, and give a part of 
my furlough time to writing this book on the experiences of 
“Pioneering for Christ” in the land of Ethiopia. 

However much I have disliked the use of the personal pro- 
noun, it seems there is no way of avoiding it. It is a help to 


[11] 


Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


know that in Scripture we find God’s messengers frequently refer- 
ring to themselves and using the personal pronoun. 

It would be out of place for me to pose as an authority on 
missionary problems, missionary strategy, etc. An experience of 
five years is too inadequate to permit one giving a theoretical 
treatise on missionary effort. This book is meant to be an appeal 
for lives and for intercession. I do not claim that the book pos- 
sesses any literary merit. If it has attraction, the honor is due 
to our Lord and the sufficiency of His grace. 

It is my sincere hope that those who read these pages may be 
led to praise God that even among the cannibal people of Central 
Africa His promise is being fulfilled: “I will call them my 
people which were not my people; and her beloved, which was 
not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was 
said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called 
the children of the living God.” 

Further, that those who know what it means to wrestle with 
the Almighty in prevailing intercession may be led to pray for 
the converts, the missionaries, and the many tribes still untouched. 
Then shall we see fulfilled the work of the Lord, “Ethiopia shall 
soon stretch out her hands unto God.” 


Sak. JOHANNA VEENSTRA. 
Ibi-via Jos- 


Northern Nigeria 
British West Africa 
October, 1926 


[ 12 ] 


BHAA ADA AD BOAR AN AN BAN BAD AD AD AD AD 


COIN TEAB IN JERS 





Page 
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her @allttoc Service sew rrosra rac dc tite eek Pe eee ee 29 
Lreparationmione serv 1Ces— len miei te ee aa eee te 37 
PLeparatiOlstOra oer vlCG-=Lie 2. 8s Cetera ee ee 47 
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A hen@allfotsthesSu Cail ae eeeey ee te ek ree ee 71 
GelIn gen COUalited Ge tii a ble eae hed eee Monae ie 
Pntetin cethesCannibale Distt lCiee tse. s ele eer 83 
Pier rOWEREOLRODILIte WOLSHID ahi. so ee eae eed 93 
unemMoOralpliter Ol atheeDZOm Pere as sate eee. eee: 101 
=InsPerilsiin*thes Wilderness: =-1 4a: 2 )un. es nee oe 107 
Soe Ceri Simla dennessyeatk la. elm eeete nies tee 115 
ne aLasksOleaariloneeme\lissloilatiy oie. ae ae a eee 123 
ines Dispensarve.Orkeatal cup Wes ees eee een ee 129 
dihesaboardingschooleate lupe aera os ene A 139 
Evangelistica:WOrKk ge ace ee meio ee tah ke Los 
HicstePruitSe a. sae eae Aa ele res cule tds Boer boca cee ky: 
The First Convert from among the Dzompere....... 187 
molireritie Little: Chindgnrensto, Gomer... ty arn ee 99 
AT rew. Questions ANSWered as. ok Ge es ee 207 
Problems sand #Dittiicultics wage ate ee ie 219 
SI SFILeENOLDING stO RY O Ur mabey pie Meee ee oe ce een eet 231 


[13 ] 








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MapesnowineyMiss Veenstra’s stationee >. yea sere eee he oie 20 
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The barge in which author spent fourteen days............ 62 
ees mirill (Saar Ole tier SOSDCligtiet tes Waa ethene tee ey ae ate 66 
boangineeschoolepupils:in school dress... Wes ae. wre ene 68 
Group of Lupwe boarding school pupils.............%5.... 74 
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STONER TAU h 0 ce aon en MAR UT Bam eit LZ, ela) ome Aes Reet Re ee a 96 
Two Christian lads with patient and child wife............. 102 
ORICA MOUILALOY «Aika ee meh: hoc rere ete Pa eee SR Na ate 118 
PCODALCMI I mthe» WHUETIESS «ec tse eee ee eee eee 124 
EIT DO DOLATINIGS His 1b sects eee tohs eR eee eee hae eee es MA A ae 126 
Boarding school pupils in their Sunday clothes............ 140 
Compound of boarding school pupils...................... 145 
Native Christians on preaching tours ..es... 2s oe sete. 154 
en ave Deeb aughterolsPrayely sce cen es ate ties 160 
Takum women going to the hill for palm wine............. 172 
PCLAICATIBINOLIKE YS) i715 4-0 shaves. Sone ee ee oe ae 196 
el getiesInisSiOHALy: . Meee Aa eats oA ene ee eee 204 
PynOneand) leopard .in: life-and! death strugglewsw.. 0.7. eee: 216 
BAD VEOLSDOALCING SCHOOL.) as treats eee eee ee 228 


[15 ] 


“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work 
whereunto I have called them.” 
Acts 13:2. 


The Holy Spirit, as the representative of the ascended Lord, 
is supreme in the Church. It is His sovereign voice that sum- 
mons His chosen workers to undertake missionary or home 
enterprise. Dr. Ryland, who at first opposed Carey’s idea of 
going to India, said afterwards, “‘I believe God Himself infused 
into the mind of Carey that solicitude for the salvation of the 
heathen which cannot be fairly traced to any other source.” And 
the same is true of all missionaries. The true call is always of 
the Divine Spirit. Whom He wills to call, He calls. Whom He 
calls, He separates. Whom He separates, He endows and sends 
forth. 

F. B. MEYER. 


[eLGz 


LN EROD AG THIOUV: 


ACh. looms increasingly large on the horizon of missionary 
interest. From September 14-20, 1926, at Le Zoute, in Belgium, 
an international conference was held to study the rapidly chang- 
ing and developing conditions in the various parts of that great 
continent, and trying to discover how the missionary forces might 
effectively relate themselves to these conditions, in order to more 
rapidly advance the interests of the Kingdom of God. 

Not less than thirteen countries were represented at that 
meeting, and sixty-three missionary societies from Europe, 
America and South America as well as from Africa contributed 
to its personnel. And well might this interest be shown in such 
a manner. As to evangelical mission work, Africa as well as 
South America may well be termed a neglected continent. Stanley 
in his days spoke of it as “The Dark Continent.” This name, too, 
is fitting; and that not alone because its one hundred and fifty 
million or more inhabitants (except about two million whites) 
are dark skinned people; but also and especially because these 
multitudes have during many, many centuries been living in 
moral and spiritual darkness, under the sway of the Prince of 
Darkness. Theirs has been an existence full of intellectual dark- 
ness as well. Of the 523 distinct languages and 320 dialects which 
so far have been identified in Africa, great numbers have not 
yet been reduced to writing. That means ignorance and the off- 
spring of ignorance: immorality, witchcraft and idolatry; degra- 
dation in a thousand ways; the oppression of the poor, the weak 


and the helpless—and the future full of gloom. 





In recent decades Africa has been pictured as a great question 





mark: its shape suggesting this—a great question mark as to its 


letra) 


Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


pagan population of some eighty or ninety millions of people 
becoming either Mohammedan or Christian—since paganism is 
bound to disappear before the onward march of civilization, in 
quest of the treasures hidden in the soil, the forests and the mines 
of Africa. From the north, Islam has been forging ahead with 
rapids strides, its every trader a missionary; and the demands of 
its religion pleasing to the flesh and at the same time offering 
happiness for eternity. From the south, missionary bands of 
evangelical Christendom have been marching northward, alas, at 
a slow pace and in but small numbers, and these often depleted 
by the ravages of the climate and obstructed in their march by 
bitter foes, both black and white. 

In different parts of Africa, notably in ganda and the 
Kameruns, encouraging victories have been won for the Christ. 
But vast regions are yet without heralds of the gospel. The 
Sudan, the immense region south of the Sahara, has become a 
battlefield between Cross and Crescent. It is in that vast belt of 
dark, if not darkest, Africa, that the Sudan United Mission has 
since 1904 been endeavoring to establish a chain of mission posts, 
to halt, with God’s help, the forward march of Mohammedanism; 
by having its soldiers of the Cross endeavor to conquer the pagan 
tribes of the country before they become the prey of Islam. 

The Sudan United Mission has five councils, viz.: in England, 
Denmark, Australia, South Africa and the United States, the last 
named branch having its headquarters at Camden, N. J. It is 
under the auspices of the American branch that the author of the 
present volume has been laboring in recent years, supported by 
funds, coming largely from the people in America among whom 
she was reared; and pioneering for Christ in loyalty to the great 
principles of the denomination of which her father was an 
honored minister. 

How the Lord of her life providentially prepared her for her 
work; pointed out the sphere of her labors; what she observed, 


RaRSes 


Introduction 


encountered and did in a part of the great mission field of the 
Nigerian Sudan; and what its great problems and difficulties are— 
Miss Veenstra tells in a straightforward, plain, informing and 
interesting way. The great purpose of her book is, as she writes, 
to appeal for lives and for intercession for Dark Africa, that it 
increasingly may come to know Him who is the Light of the 
World. We trust the volume, no doubt written with the heart 
uplifted to the God of all grace, will be honored by Him to have 
his Kingdom come also among the sons and daughters of the land 


of Ham. 
HENRY BEETS. 


Grand Rapids, Mich., November 1, 1926. 


[19 ] 


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“Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
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cel Departs: (oral aivil@scndmeiiices i. 
hence unto the Gentiles.” 


“Be strong and of a good courage; be not 
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the 
Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever 
thou goest.” 


BOAR AR AR AR ARAN AS AN AD AS BO AN AN AN AD 


CHAPTER I 
FAREWELL 


“This is positively the last call! All people not traveling must 
leave the ship at once.” 

Through every passageway, and on every deck, we could 
hear the voice of an Englishman bidding passengers to say a last 
farewell to their friends and send them off the vessel. 

Some people were traveling alone. They paid no attention to 
this call. Others, having. crossed the “great deep’ many times 
before, gave their friends a quick, hearty handshake, thus bid- 
ding them a cheerful good-bye. But some were suffering real 
grief—that painful parting that is accompanied by a fearful un- 
certainty as to whether they would ever see one another again. 
A long loving embrace—an affectionate kiss—tears—one last 
tender word—and a group of friends and loved ones file in pro- 
cession down the gangplank to join the crowd that is waiting on 
the pier. Only a limited number are allowed a pass to board the 
ship and see their friends off, but by far the great majority have 
to be content with standing on the pier and watching the vessel 
move out. 

It was one of those cold, rainy, cheerless days in October, 
exactly seven years ago today, October 2nd. 

The ship was that large trans-Atlantic liner, the ‘““Mauretania,”’ 
used so much during the war for the transportation of troops and 
Red Cross workers. For this trip the vessel had a full enrollment. 
It was crowded to its utmost capacity with passengers. 

So it was not a little handful of people that thronged all the 
available deck space. Each person wanted to be near the railing, 
so as to get a full view of his or her friends as they waited on 
the pier below. 








[ 23 | 


24 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


“How long it takes for the boat to start,” a passenger said. 
Then another, “My, but it’s cold and damp. We shall all be sick.” 
But for the most part the people were very quiet. 

Suddenly from the pier below there came the sound of a 
beautiful hymn, 


“Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.” 


We could see hundreds of people on the pier below cast a 
glance at the group of Christians singing the hymn. And on 





Courtesy of Cunard Line 
The Mauretania. See page 23. 


‘ach deck the passengers looked all about them to see whether 
there was a Salvation Army cap or bonnet. They were all inquis- 
itive to know the reason for this singing, and who the passen- 
gers were receiving this strange farewell. Then suddenly came 
the strains of a more familiar hymn, . 


“God be with you ’till we meet again.” 


A lady standing beside me was intensely moved. She looked 
at me and said, ““Why, I believe surely, they are singing for you.” 


Farewell 20 


And I quietly assured her that she was right. Then she asked 
me if this was the first time I was traveling, and I said, “This is 
my first ocean journey; I am traveling alone, and am on my way 
to Africa as missionary.” At once she began to weep and say, 
“T thought it must be something like that. The singing is lovely. 
It makes me sad because I have just buried a daughter, a very 
lovely young girl. I would like for us to have a talk before we 
get to England.” 

By this time all the heavy ropes that held the big vessel in 
place were loosened; and the tiny tugboats began to puff and 
pull with all their strength. Gradually they pulled the monstrous 
vessel out of her slip and into the broad waters of the Hudson 
River. 

Handkerchiefs were waving—hundreds of them. What tense 
excitement! But through all the excitement one could hear the 
last hymn, 

“Take the Name of Jesus with you.” 


The lone missionary stood on the deck, just at the railing, 
with a New Testament lifted high, while the choir of loving - 
friends could still be heard to sing, 


‘Precious. Name, O how sweet, 
Hope of earth, and joy of heaven. 


“At the name of Jesus bowing, 
‘alling prostrate at His feet; 

King of kings, in heaven we’ll crown Him, 
When our journey is complete.” 


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GHAPRTER IL 


Take my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; 

Take my moments and my days, 
Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 


Take my hands, and let them move 
At the impulse of Thy love; 

Take my feet and let them be 
Swift and beautiful for Thee. 


Take my voice and let me sing 
Always, only, for my King; 
Take my lips and let them be 
Filled with messages from Thee. 


Take my silver and my gold; 

Not a mite would I withhold; 
Take my intellect and use 

Ev'ry power as Thou shalt choose. 


Take my will, and make it Thine; 
It shall be no longer mine. 

Take my heart, it is Thine own; 
It shall be Thy royal Throne. 


Take my love, my Lord, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure-store; 
Take myself, and I will be 
Ever, only, ALL for THEE. 


FRANCES HAVERGAL. 


PEN AR RS ES RES RE RRS RS RS RES ER REV RE RS OR 


CHAPTER II 


THE CALL*TO SERVICE 


“Just how were you called to the mission field?” 

This is a question many kind friends have ventured to ask 
me. It is not an easy matter to explain, and calls us to step back 
a few years and recall some of the outstanding experiences which 
led to a definite “call” to the Lord’s service. 

Let me say that to relate one’s spiritual experiences reminds 
me of the Tabernacle. You remember its divisions: the outer 
court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. 

So in our spiritual life there is what I may compare with the 
“outer court.” That part of us—what we say and what we do— 
that is known to all those about us. 

But behind our practical Christian living is the deeper life 
that I would compare with the “holy place.” There is only a 
limited circle of friends who are invited to “come and hear what 
the Lord has done for my soul.” We tell of answered prayer; of 
communion with our Lord; of battles fought and victories won 
in our soul-life. 

Then there is that sacred part of our spiritual experience that 
I would liken to the “holy of holies.” Before crossing the border 
into that place, one would surely whisper, “Take the shoes from 
off thy feet, for this is hallowed ground.” It is hard to lift the 
veil and let one have a glimpse of that inner life. To tell of 
His gracious leading when drawn, laden with sin, to Calvary’s 
cross; to tell how His voice was heard to say, “Go, work in my 
vineyard”; to tell of His soothing comfort in the hour of great 
sorrow; to tell of those rare mountain-top experiences of spirit- 
ual joy—is like reverently entering the ‘“‘holy of holies.” 


[ 29 ] 


30 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


And still I feel urged to give a few details of my own spiritual 
experiences in order that some may thereby, perchance, receive 
help and blessing. 


As a little girl, I was very naughty. In mischief I would easily 
have gained first prize in school and also in church. To this day 
it is a great sorrow to me to think back upon that time; and with 
the psalmist I may well pray, ‘“‘Remember not, O Lord, the sins 
of my youth.” I will not enlarge upon these sins, but to con- 
vince you of the truth of what I am saying, I might tell you that 
I was publicly expelled from Sunday School when only thirteen 
years of age. In catechism class we decided to tease our leader 
(not a minister) and I was to have a mock fainting spell. This 
was carried out and five of us girls were allowed to leave the 
room. J remember one outstanding week in day school when I 
was sent to appear before the principal three times. All this was 
before my fourteenth birthday. 

Not long after my fourteenth birthday I was working in a 
New York office. Having passed the required examination in 
stenography I soon obtained a position, but this necessitated my 
going to and fro from Paterson to New York each day. 

At that time New York was the second largest city in the 
world. A city with a tremendous foreign population; a city of 
extreme contrasts. There were high towering office buildings, 
and not far away were congested slums; there was the rich Wall 
Street section of the downtown district, but nearby were to be 
found the poorest of the poor; there was Riverside Drive with its 
palatial homes, but not far off were tenement houses where whole 
families were crowded into one tiny room. There were magnifi- 
cent churches where folks came to worship, dressed in costly 
garments and riding in luxurious automobiles, and over on the 
other side of the island was the Bowery and Chinatown with its 
mission halls, where men and women, deceived by rum and opium, 
would come for rest, free lunch, free bed, work, and the cheer of 
a warm lighted room with its gospel songs and message. There 
was a very exclusive class of society folk called “the 400”; and 


The Call to Service 31 


there was what is commonly known as ‘‘New York’s underworld,” 
where hundreds of young lives have been wrecked, body and 
soul, in a cesspool of wickedness. 

And into this great city, I a young girl of fourteen, went to 
work as a stenographer. 

All the other girls had pretty clothes. I was earning a good 
salary, and also wanted beautiful clothes and jewelry. Other 
girls went to the “pictures,” and it did not require much per- 
suasion to get me along. Next in order was the theater, and soon 
I sat there in the midst of a great crowd. From the theater to the 
dance hall is only a single step, and I was prepared to take this 
step also. I had one lesson in dancing—and then God spoke, 
“Thus far and no farther’; and sent His Holy Spirit into my 
heart to slay me with conviction. 

I do not mean to preach to anyone in this little book. But I 
feel quite certain that some of our young people will be reading 
these pages. And while there is such a tendency in our day to 
be broadminded, and while many seem to walk freely upon the 
paths that were formerly forbidden, may I, from my own per- 
sonal experience, warn you to keep away from places of worldly 


amusements. 
oh KS RR RP ese 


‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the 
Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall 
be as white as snow; though they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool.” 


It is only fitting that at this time I should bear testimony to 
the faithful personal work of the late Rev. K. Van Goor, who was 
my pastor at this time. How well do I remember his counsel and 
his pleading prayers. To this day I believe that personal work is 
Scriptural (e.g., Jesus dealing with Nicodemus, and Jesus dealing 
with the woman at the well); and that personal work is very 
fruitful. Away out in Africa I have spent hours in just this kind 
of work, dealing with the individual in regard to his or her 
soul-welfare. True, it is very difficult. Surely every Christian 
worker will find it easier to talk to a small group or to a large 
crowd than to just one person. But it is exactly the hard things 


Oe Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


in life that are so worth while. And to prove what I said regard- 
ing the pastor, the late Rev. Van Goor, I will go just a little into 
detail, in the hope that some may be encouraged in this great 
work of dealing with the individual. 

One evening the telephone rang. It was for me. And the 
person speaking was the “dominee.” He asked whether I had 
time that evening to come to his house for a little talk. J an- 
swered “Yes,” and soon was on my way. As I rang the bell I 
felt myself shake with nervousness. But his kindly voice and 
manner soon brought me back to normal. He asked me many 
questions, and then he began to probe into my heart-life. I wept 
and confessed to him that I had “no peace in my soul.” He 
talked some more, and then prayed with me, and I returned home. 

Then on several occasions he would ask my chum and me to 
stay for a little talk after catechism. My chum was also under- 
going a spiritual struggle, and so he could speak to us together. 
He never asked one of us to remain alone. These were precious 
moments. He never kept us long. Just having had the catechism 
lesson, our minds were in a proper attitude to receive a direct 
approach. A few questions, some more advice, an earnest prayer, 
and we were free to go home. 

By this time I was earnestly seeking the Lord, but had no 
peace. For nearly a year I struggled under constant pressure of 
conviction. What a load of sin! Was it too late? Had the “un- 
pardonable sin” been committed? Others sang, “What a wonder- 
ful Savior is Jesus my Lord, He taketh my burden away”—would 
I never know the joy of singing these words? Long into the night 
would I keep awake, sometimes reading the Bible, afraid to go 
to sleep—lest I might die. Months went by; words became fewer; 
and physically the strain was beginning to tell. But why all this 
struggle? The Holy Spirit made it clear to me. I wanted peace, 
but in my own way. I was very willing, more than willing, to 
give my heart to the Lord, but I shrank from giving my all. I 
wanted to be a child of the King, but I fought desperately against 
consecrating my life unto the service of that King! But who was 
[ to withstand the power of the Almighty? He prevailed. And in 
that hour that I yielded not only my heart, but my all on the altar 


The Call to Service a 


of love to be, to do, to go, as He chose—there was a great calm! 
There was peace, unspeakable peace, peace hitherto unknown! 
Now I could sing, “He took all my burden away.” 

The Lord works in a very gracious manner. On Sunday we 
had communion in our church. We sat quite near the front in 
the afternoon service, and this meant passing out of church by 
way of the side door. To do this we had to pass the platform. 
As I came to the steps of the platform, the minister came down, 
and laying his hand lightly on my shoulder he said, “And, sister, 
when will you sit with us at this table of the Lord?” The elders 
watched, the people nearby gazed a bit too, but the minister did 
not mind. He knew that here was a soul undergoing a terrific 
struggle! He felt that he was pastor, and had to tend the lambs 
of the fold! Did he read on my face that I had peace in my 
heart? He had just announced that a special preparation class 
for those who wished to confess the Lord publicly would begin 
that week. So he said to me, “Will you come this week to the 
class?” And I replied, “Yes, dominee.” 

A few months later, forty-five men and women walked down 
the aisle of that church following their pastor, prepared to make 
public confession of Jesus as their Savior. I was the youngest 
of that group. The church was crowded to its utmost capacity. 
It was a very impressive service. Some adults received the 
sacrament of baptism. The forty-five who were making confes- 
sion stood up and sang, 

*Within His house, the house of prayer, 
I dedicate myself to God; 


Let all His saints His grace declare 
And join to sound His praise abroad. 


whereupon the congregation responded: 


*Yea, in His place of holiness 

Lift up your hands the Lord to bless; 
And unto you be given 

The joys that Zion doth afford, 

The richest blessing of the Lord 
Who made the earth and heaven. 


“These psalms were sung in Dutch as all our services were 
then conducted in the Holland language. 





Just as they are. Do they need the gospel? 
See page 88. 


Cha Beal Raltl 


“There's surely somewhere a lowly place, 

In Earth’s harvest-field so wide, 
Where I may labour through life’s short day 

For Jesus the Crucified. 

So, trusting my all to Thy tender care, 
And knowing Thou lovest me, 

Pll do Thy will with a heart sincere, 
Pll be what Thou would’st have me to be.” 


BRAD AS AAR AD AD AAD A AN AD OE AD AED 


CHAPTER III 
PREPARATION FOR SERVICE—I 


It was a beautiful mid-September day when, after saying 
good-bye to all my people, for I was not to come home again 
until the Christmas holiday, I went over to Brooklyn, New York, 
to enter as student at the Union Missionary Training Institute. 

Up to this time, as far as I can remember, I had never read 
a single book on foreign missions. Nor had I ever heard a 
foreign missionary address. The names of such countries as 
China, Japan, India and Africa were familiar to me only through 
the school geography. As to conditions, and the need of the 
gospel in these lands I was entirely ignorant. Hence I entered 
missionary school with the purpose of becoming a city mission- 
ary, or possibly I might go to the red Indians of our land. The 
Indian country was to me like the end of the world, so far as 
missionary activity was concerned. You will probably make the 
remark, “‘What gross ignorance!” And I would answer, ‘‘What 
an awakening!” Contrast the year 1913 with the year 1926. We 
then had no mission study classes; no young people who had 
gone to the foreign fields; very few missionary addresses; and 
consequently there was little inspiration and enthusiasm for the 
great cause of world-evangelization to be found in our particular 
denomination—the Christian Reformed Church. But today we 
have a foreign field of our own; more volunteers for missionary 
service than the church can place; and an ever-increasing zeal 
for this tremendous task, viz.: bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
to the uttermost bounds of this earth. 

And though I was still young, I would not have you think that 
I was indifferent to the needs of the people about us. 

On Saturday afternoons I would rush home from the office to 


[ 37 | 


38 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


attend the gospel meeting in the county jail. At least two or 
three evenings a week I gave to attend meetings on the street 
corner, or in the tiny Mission Hall. And many other evangelistic 
meetings did I attend—all in connection with the work of the 
Star of Hope Mission, of Paterson, N. J. How true it was, 





“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, 
Since Jesus came into my heart.” 


No longer could I be satisfied with the fellowship of those former 
friends; no longer was there any desire for the pleasures of this 
world. Christ had planted a new affection. The places I once 
loved, now I shunned. And the work of the church and mission, 
which formerly I ridiculed, now I attended with strict regularity 
and with intense delight. 

And so the day came when I stepped out of the office into the 
Training Institute. Away from the buzz of elevators, telephones 
and typewriters to the quiet seclusion of a dormitory room and 
the uplifting atmosphere of continual fellowship with believers 
and intensive Bible study. 

However, for three whole weeks I refused to unpack my 
trunk. “Fightings within and fears without” seemed to be my 
daily experience during those weeks. Then billows of doubt 
seemed to roll over my soul. “Shall I return home?” ‘Shall I 
give up believing that God would have my life for His service?” 
“Dare I ask to dream a dream or see a vision, or hear an angel 
voice to confirm God’s will for me?’ These were the attacks of 
the enemy, who took advantage of me at a time when, as never 
before, | was feeling my utter unworthiness to be a messenger of 
the King. How often have I noticed that Satan works in just this 
way. Jesus, immediately after His baptism, the open heaven, the 
Father’s voice, the manifestation of the Spirit, was led into the 
wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. Just as soon as we take 
an advance step for our God, Satan will come with his attacks to 
drag us back or cause us to side-step. It is at such a time that we 
need to be specially prepared, remembering that 


“No man, having put his hand to the plough, and 
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 


Preparation for Service—I oo 


But after those first three weeks there came a settled peace, 
and the assurance that [ was in the place where God would have 
me be. 

For three years I was privileged to be at this Training Insti- 
tute. We had a wonderful staff of teachers. Men and women—- 
professors, ministers who had high degrees from universities in 
Europe, and medical doctors. They were all busy people, but 
they loved the Lord and His cause, and they freely gave one, 
two or three hours per week, to come and teach a group of young 
people who were going into missionary service. It would take 
pages to tell of them individually and thus I will refrain from 
mentioning any names. But just to illustrate. We had a certain 
dentist with a very large practice. He was offered a hundred 
dollars a lecture to give the same course at a big New York 
university that he was giving in our school. He had to refuse 
because he was too busy. And yet he came to us, one evening 
a week, teaching us gratis how to extract teeth, etc., etc. I shall 
never forget the introduction to his course, when he stood be- 
fore us, and said, “Dear students, some of you will quite likely 
be going into the far-away places of the earth. You will be miles 
away from a doctor or dentist. I count it a great privilege to be 
able to give you a little help, and in days to come I shall think of 
you. Seeing I cannot go myself, this is the least I can do—help 
you to be more efficient in the great task before you. God bless 
you all!” And then he began a very helpful course of lectures 
on dentistry. 

Bear with me for just one more illustration. A lady doctor 
sat before us. She had come twice a week to give us a course 
of lectures. She had gone abroad for continued study, and was 
a woman of very high reputation among those who practiced 
medicine. On this particular day she said, “Students, today I 
have come to a definite milestone in life. It is years since I 
first began the practice of medicine. Looking back, I rejoice to 
think of how many people I have been able to help, and with you 
all | would just now like to express my gratitude to God.” She 
bowed her head, and offered a very earnest prayer of thanks- 
giving to Him, Who is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. 


4() Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Then we had missionaries come from all over the world and 
relate to us their experiences. They gave us advice and encour- 
aged us on our way. 

We also had practical mission work to do. We went to the 
slum districts on Saturday afternoon to do visitation work; on 
Sunday afternoon we taught in some Mission Sunday School, and 
some of us had special work. During my third year I went three 
times each month to a Prison-Rescue Home for girls, to hold a 
gospel service. These girls, having fallen by the wayside, were 
brought before a court judge, but were given a chance to learn 
and to prove their behavior. Thus they were sent to this Home 
to be there until they had reached the age of twenty-one. Some 
were as young as fourteen and fifteen when they entered. In reality 
they were prisoners. Every door and window was _ heavily 
barred and locked. But the girls had school classes, housework, 
sewing lessons, Sunday School, and these gospel meetings. I 
was always glad to go to these poor girls with a message from 
the Book. As I looked into their faces, I realized that, but for the 
grace of our God, I might have been among them. 

This training was not at all easy. The class-work was heavy, 
demanding much study, and the examinations came with strict 
regularity. The building was old, and in winter we suffered 
much cold in the dormitory rooms. The school was poor and 
consequently the food was not all that could be desired. It 
may not be amiss to tell you just a little of this side. 

The school year started in September, and [I remember we 
went along until February, and we had never seen a whole egg 
on our plate. As students we would talk in our room about the 
meals. Then we would say to each other, “Prunes, prunes, 
always prunes!” We were thoroughly tired of prunes, and then 
began to joke about them, and call them ‘Missionary school 
strawberries.” What.a stretch of the imagination! To be eating 
prunes, and try to make yourself believe they taste like fresh 
strawberries. 

And about once a week we had a wonderful pudding for 
dessert. The remains of the morning porridge, oatmeal, hominy, 
corn-meal,. etc., etc., was all gathered together for some days. 


Preparation for Service—I 41 


and then an egg, some sugar and milk, and a few raisins added, 
baked in the oven, and served as pudding. To this pudding we 
gave a fancy name. We called it “Review of Reviews!” 

The neighboring churches often had a social, a supper, or 
something of the sort. And whatever was left would be given 
to the missionary students. These surprise packages generally 
contained lovely sandwiches, rich cake, and sometimes some other 
rare dainties. But then again we would have our mouth all set for 
something nice and would get a real disappointment. How well 
I remember one day. It was Monday morning. A telephone 
message came to ask whether we could send two young men 
students to a church only a couple blocks away. The boys were 
hustled off to get back in time for the nine o’clock class. Very 
soon they returned, carrying a washboiler between them. What 
could that contain? The church had feasted on a turkey supper 
on Friday night, but the person who was to call up the school 
on Saturday, quite naturally forgot. So the remains of the turkey 
Supper were found in the church basement on Monday morning, 
and our boys sent to collect them. What were these ‘remains’? 
To my utter horror, there was a washboiler half full of turkey 
bones! There was nothing else! Well, some of us thought we 
possessed just a little Christian grace, but we were truly angry 
on this particular morning. We asked the cook to throw them 
away, lest we get ptomaine poison. We came to the table at 
noon, to find that we were having soup that day. But with some 
of us, the anger had not abated and we said, “No, thank you” 
as the dishes of hot turkey-bone broth were passed around. 

I have not exaggerated this story one little bit. It happened 
only once in the three years I was there that we were treated 
so Shamefully. The old idea, “‘any person is good enough for the 
mission field,’ and ‘anything is good enough for missionaries 
and missionary students,’ was quite frequently emphasized at 
that time. 

Let me not give you the idea, however, that we never had 
good things to eat. Some people and some churches treated us 
royally. I do not know the name of the man, but there was a 
very generous brother in that big neighborhood. This brother 


42 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


had a sister in China. She was a missionary. This brother also 
had a fish market. And every Saturday we had a delicious din- 
ner of fresh fish—the gift of this Christian brother to the mis- 
sionary students. Another regular gift was the annual Thanks- 
giving dinner, an elaborate affair, donated by one of the churches 
where some of our students attended. 

True, it was wonderful training for young people preparing 
to go to the foreign field. We all had to do our own washing and 
ironing, as well as keep our own rooms clean. How we laughed 
one day when one of the boys—a Holland young man eager to 
keep up our reputation of cleanliness—boiled a pair of colored 
socks! 

But this training proved too strenuous for some young people. 
Very hard study, poor dormitory accommodation, insufficient sup- 
ply of certain necessary foodstuffs began to tell on some students. 
I know of at least five who went out from the walls of that 
Training Institute with tuberculosis during the three years I was 
there. And our student body never numbered over thirty at that 
time. Some of us had relatives who sent us parcel post packages. 
Some of us had a fair bit of spending money and could buy some 
things we liked. But others were poor. One young man, a class- 
mate of mine, came over here from Denmark to continue his 
studies. He was an artist, and had a splendid education, having 
studied three years in Germany before coming to America. But 
he was poor! During vacation and holiday time he worked and 
painted pictures, so as to earn his tuition and money for clothes. 
One day he told me how he was sent to speak at a certain meet- 
ing, and only had carfare to get there. But after the meeting 
several men shook hands with him, and one placed in his hand 
a five-dollar bill. This was the Lord’s abundant provision for the 
return carfare. At the graduation exercises he gave a paper on 
“The Sudan.” His purpose was to continue his studies at some 
seminary for two years, and then go out to the Sudan, Africa. 
But God’s purpose was otherwise. Within a half-year after grad- 
uation this young life was cut off. He died from hasting tuber- 
culosis. 


Preparation for Service—I 43 


After three years of training in such an institution one should 
be able to say with the great Apostle Paul: 


“I have learned in whatsoever state I am, 
therewith to be content.” 


Lest you should think that such conditions still prevail, I must 
tell you that the school long since gave up these buildings. Today 
the Union Missionary School, of Brooklyn, is amalgamated with 
the National Bible Institute, of New York, and there is a fine, 
up-to-date, fireproof building, with a very much larger student 


enrollment. I rejoice with great joy at this marvelous advance— 
the token of God’s care and grace! 


Boardin 


g 
— 


school pupils exerc 


1S] 





ng. See page 139. 


CHAPTER IV 


“Go oul into the highways and hedges 
and compel them to come in, that 
my house may be filled.” 

| Luke 14:23 


ria 


ern 





BIKAR AR RK RK BK RR KK BI RK RK A RK 


CHAPTER IV 





PREPARATION FOR SERVICE—II 

In the previous chapter I told you how I went over to Brook- 
lyn, N. Y., to receive training at a Bible Institute there. 

Three years had elapsed! How fast the time flies! It seemed 
like a dream on that morning when we packed our trunks after 
all the excitement of final examinations and graduation exercises. 
However, we all felt that we were one step nearer our goal. 
Now we had a diploma, and for each of us the day was near 
when we might begin actual missionary work. Some were to 
engage in service at home; others had their eyes fixed on South 
America; another felt a definite call to India; while China’s mil- 
lions appealed to one, “Come over and help us.” As we dis- 
banded that morning, we were not unmindful of the fact that we 
might never again in this world see some of these familiar faces. 
And so it proved to be. Before the end of that year, as I men- 
tioned in the previous chapter, we received the message of one 
fellow-student, who, instead of going into Africa’s night of 
heathenism and superstition, was called to enter the Gloryland, 
the Land where darkness is unknown because there is no set- 
ting sun. 

Many people were surprised to hear that I felt a special 
leading to go to Africa, should the Lord permit. 

It was during the summer previous to my last year in school. 
I had been sent to represent the school at a large Missionary 
Conference at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Among the many speak- 
ers at this ten-day conference was Dr. H. K. W. Kumm, Ph.D., 
F.R.G.S. One evening he spoke for over an hour, telling of the 
conditions in the Sudan; vividly picturing before our minds the 
many tribes of Central Africa untouched by the gospel message, 


Cees 


48 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


and in danger of being won over to the religion of the false 
prophet Mohammed. I sat spellbound! Not a word of this 
message escaped my attention! I was profoundly impressed and 
deeply moved! I went to my tent and retired, but sleep refused 
to still my thought! I spent three days in prayer and meditation. 

Up to this time I felt no desire to enter upon foreign mission- 
ary service. But now there seemed to be a clear Macedonian call 
from over the sea. There were no friends near with whom I could 
talk the matter over. I wrestled with the Lord to know His will as 
to whether He was calling me into this special foreign mission- 
ary work. And on the third day I yielded my will to the Lord of 
the harvest, to obey Him even to some remote part of His harvest- 
field. “Have Thine own way, Lord, 

Have Thine own way! 
Hold o’er my being 

Absolute sway!” 


During that last year in school I made special effort to get 
all the information I could on Africa. I was in personal touch 
with Dr. Kumm, at that time secretary for the American branch 
of the Sudan United Mission, with which I am now connected. 

It was not possible to go from the missionary school direct 
to Africa. I was told that, due to climatic conditions over there, 
the Board could not sanction my going until I was twenty-five 
years old. That meant I was to be patient and wait three whole 
years. 

Several offers for service here at home came to me just pre- 
vious to graduation from the Training Institute. 

In August of that year I came to Michigan to begin city mis- 
sion work under the auspices of the Eastern Avenue Christian 
Reformed Church, of which Rev. J. Groen was at that time pastor. 

The agreement was that I should work one year, and that I 
be allowed to take up the courses in Reformed Doctrine at our 
Calvin College. It would take several chapters to tell in detail 
of the work of that year. But the practical experience in mis- 
sion work at home has been of tremendous help and value to 
me in working in Africa. For this reason I am devoting so much 
space to this important subject of “Preparation for Service.” 


Preparation for Service—lIl 49 


Regular visitation work was done in a given district; a store 
was rented and Mission Sunday School was begun. Later a class 
for boys and a sewing class for girls was also started. Each 
week I had a gospel meeting in two factories. I went at least 
once a month to the Tuberculosis Sanatorium and did personal 
work with the patients. I had a class for training in personal 
work in the church; and a short course for those who were 
teaching in the Mission Sunday School. 

As to the results of this work I would rather we wait until that 
Great Day when the Judge of all the earth will speak. 

At Calvin College they had a Student Volunteer Band, organ- 
ized several years before, of which I was the first woman member. 
The members of this band were desirous that our church people 
should become acquainted with the conditions and needs of the 
different foreign mission fields. I was asked by them to go ona 
deputation tour for this purpose. ‘Who is to be responsible for 
the expenses?” I asked. And they replied, “We have never had 
dues or collections at the band meetings, and hence we have no 
treasury.” Thinking the matter over, I said, “I have not been 
able to save any money this year.” (My salary was far less than 
what I had earned as stenographer when only fifteen years old.) 
“But I have five doliars, and that will take me somewhere. So 
I am willing to start out.” 

Being convinced that the time had come for a man to take 
over the work of the mission, and desiring to continue some 
further study in the near future, I left the mission work in Grand 
Rapids, and went to Northern Michigan, where I had several 
appointments to speak and present the needs of the different for- 
eign mission fields. At each place I was given $5.00, and pro- 
ceeded to Chicago to do the same there. On and on, for four 
months, I went traveling about, entering every open door and 
setting forth the cry of the heathen world. At the end of this trip 
| had $150.00 balance, which was put in the bank, and later 
applied to my expenses in going to Africa. In a wonderful way, 
the Lord taught me that if we put our trust in Him, we small 
never be put to shame. This experience also greatly stimulated 
my faith. 


50 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Again I turned my face to the great world city—New York, 
to continue training. This time I entered a Special Maternity 
Hospital, and after a year of very strenuous effort, received a 
diploma, plus a government certificate to practice midwifery. 
The Mission Board, under which I already had a definite appoint- 
ment to go to Africa, recommended to me to take up such a 
course. In subsequent chapters I may have occasion to explain 
what a blessing it has been to me in Africa, where medical help 
is SO very scarce. 

It seemed now that I might soon set sail for the far away 
heathen field. But here I am reminded of a mission secretary 
who was interviewing a candidate with a view to an appointment 
for service. Said the aged secretary to the young man who was 
applying: “Dear young brother, there are three definite require- 
ments for a missionary candidate. I would like to impress that 
fact upon you. The first thing you need is PATIENCE; don’t for- 
get that. The second thing you need is more important than the 
first, it is PATIENCE; and the third is so important that if you 
do not have it, you will be an utter failure—it is PA TIEN CE!” 

How hard it is, when we are conscious of a great need, and 
have a burning passion to go out and “‘tell the gospel story,” to 
wait and wait and wait! What boundless patience it does require, 
lest we should murmur or doubt our high calling. 

For six or eight months I was again engaged in City Mission 
work, this time with the Hebrew Mission of Paterson, N. J. 

At last, permit received, passport duly signed, passage reser- 
vation engaged, a definite date was set when I was to sail from 
New York to Africa. 

A minister once made this wise statement: “An ocean journey 
will not make a missionary out of anyone. Another minister 
once said: ““A soul at home is of equal value to a soul abroad!” 
And a third man of God said: “If you have no concern for the 
salvation of men and women at home, you will never have a 
passion for the lost world outside.’ And to all this I whole- 
heartedly say “Amen.” 

There are too many Christian workers who have lifted their 
gaze to the shores of some distant land, and who are utterly 


Preparation for Service—Il 59 


indifferent to the needs of the people in their own community. 

At the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York, I heard 
Dr. Jowett say: “Every Christian should have a daily period of 
communion with God. One should engage in Bible reading and 
prayer, as well as quiet meditation. As a part of that meditation 
it is well at times to think back—to reflect—upon all the way in 
which God has led you.” 

Today as I reflect—as I review a little of the past, I remember 
that in several prisons; in rescue homes; in hospitals and sana- 
toriums; in saloons, in dens of vice, on New York’s Great White 
Way and in her Chinatown; in a gypsy camp; in alms houses; 
on the street corners of several cities; in different mission halls; 
in numerous private homes; to a few rich; to many of the poor 
of the poorest—have I been privileged to testify to the “depth 
of the riches of love in Christ Jesus.” 

And in my humble opinion, this is a most valuable part of a 
missionary’s preparation for service in the foreign field. 








ge 105. 


S 


Pye Ce Ly: 


ilm tree 


c 


from the p 


ipping wine 


— 
l< 


CHAR RAY 


“Be strong and of a good courage; 
be not afraid, neither be thou dis- 
mayed for the Lord thy God is 
with thee whithersoever thou goest.” 


BRAGA RADA AD AA AL AD AAD A A A 


CHAPTER V 
SINTJOGRNE YING Ss OLED Ni ee se 


We will now again pick up the thread which was broken at 
the end of the first chapter. 

The great Mauretania moved along slowly and quietly on her 
way to England, passing New York’s skyscraper buildings, and 
giving us a last look at the Statue of Liberty. Remembering the 
historic significance of this massive statue, and realizing that we 
were sailing away from the shores of our beloved homeland, 
one could hardly help breathe the prayer: 


Protect us by Thy might, 
Great God, our King! 


Very soon we were out into the great Atlantic. Speed was 
increased! Land was left far behind! AIl one could see was 
water and sky. 

I went down to my cabin, and found it rather crowded. It 
was the year after the Armistice, and one could not pick and 
choose how one wished to travel. This was an inside cabin, and 
there were two other women and two children besides myself. 
What a time we had getting our baggage in order! The mother 
and two children were Austrians, and they were going over to 
the old country to greet their family that was suffering grief and 
loss, due to the war. The other lady was Scotch, and was also 
traveling for the same purpose. 

The first three days all went well. Everybody was cheerful 
because the sea was calm and one could enjoy the fresh ocean 
air. But then we ran into a very heavy storm. The waves rose 
like black, snowcapped mountains, and dashed against the ves- 
sel! The big ship began to roll and toss! One after another the 
passengers left the deck to go to their cabins. And for three whole 


| 55 | 





Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 








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Map showing mission stations in the Sudan. 


days this storm raged! The wind blew with such violence that 
it tore loose a heavy staircase on the upper deck. A lifeboat was 
also thrown into the great deep. Though there were hundreds 
of passengers, there was one day, when the storm was furious, 
that not a single woman could go to the dining room. 

What a long three days! What a dreadful thing it is to be so 
terribly seasick! Who cares what happens to the trunks as they 
bang to and fro against one another? Who thinks about a meal 
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were thrown to the floor and broken? 

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points to Miss Veenstra’s station. See page 71. 


At last the wind began to calm down; the sun smiled upon us 
from the heaven above; the roaring of the waves gradually grew 
fainter, and the vessel moved more steadily. One after another 
the passengers again sought the fresh air. Many looked pale and 
exhausted, but each bore a cheerful expression of hope and grati- 
tude while exchanging a hearty word of greeting. 

Due to this storm we were delayed in getting to our port. It 
was not an effort to stay up until midnight to see the lights of the 
shore line. There was much excitement as we anchored, but we 
were told that no one would be permitted to leave the ship until 
morning, and so we retired. 

Everybody was up on time the next morning. Several officers 


58 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


boarded the ship to examine our papers. Such a host of ques- 
tions, and such endless red tape. How thankful I was when the 
inman said to me: “Your papers are complete—pass on.” 

There was a special train to take passengers to London. So 
I walked over to the ticket office, after having my trunks exam- 
ined by the custom officers, and asked for a ticket to London. 

“What class?” promptly enquired the ticket agent. 

“Third class, please,” replied the missionary. 

The English trains are a little different to our American ones. 
The coaches are divided into separate compartments. Each com- 
partment is large enough to accommodate six or eight passengers. 
The passengers travel first, second or third class, according to 
their social standing and according to their pocketbook. Most 
missionaries and ministers travel third class, as well as the 
greatest majority of the traveling public. It is every bit as 
comfortable as our American day coaches. . 

This was my first glimpse of England. The scenery was 
beautiful. Small farms, neat hedges, brooks and streams with 
pretty little bridges, thatched farmhouses, were to be seen all 
along the way. 

After three hours the train slowed down and we came to that 
crowded, wonderful, old city of London. 

Someone has written a book bearing the title ““Alone in Lon- 
don.” That was my experience just now. There was no one to 
meet me, as I failed to send a telegram message to the mission 
office. The few porters at the station devoted all their attention 
to the first class passengers. So we hauled about our own lug- 
gage, dragging the trunks from the baggage car to some central 
spot until we had all our belongings together. It was the year 
after the war, and everything was much upset in England. Travel- 
ing was very hard. It was also next to impossible to get accom- 
modation. I asked the taxi driver to take me to the Y. W. C. A. 
(In England this institution provides sleeping accommodation 
for women.) He said, ‘““Why, Madam, every Y. W. C. A. place is 
overcrowded. If you have not made reservation, it will be use- 
less to go.” I then asked him, ‘What about the hotels?” “You'll 
never get in a hotel,” he said, “‘they have long waiting lists.” 


SIT LOUTIICUINGS OO; Lene a 59 


Then I gave him the address of our mission office in London, 
and asked him to take me there. 

Like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky I walked into the office 
of the mission and introduced myself. They were surprised, and 
also perplexed. The secretary had written to America to say that 
I was not to come just yet, as he could not get passage booked for 
me from England to West Africa. This letter, however, arrived 
in America after I had set sail. 

Well, the first thing to do was to get my four pieces of bag- 
gage from the taxi into the office and pay the driver, so he could 
be excused. This done, I sat down, and the secretary, Mr. 
Dawson, very kindly said to me, “I will again ’phone the steam- 
ship company about a passage for West Africa.” The result of 
that ’phone call was: “The company says they are not able to 
give us a reservation for you until the middle or end of February.” 

“Does that mean that I shall have to wait here in England 
from today, October 10th, to the middle or end of February, next 
year?” I enquired. 

“Yes, and what is more,” said Mr. Dawson, “It is so difficult 
to get sleeping accommodations. We are living two families in 
one small house. The little baby sleeps in the bureau drawer at 
night. Everybody is crowded, and all the hotels likewise.” 

This was just about all I could stand. It was nearly mid- 
afternoon. I had had nothing to eat since early morning. The 
day was cold and damp. The big city was so strange, and among 
its thousands of people there was not one I knew. One of my 
trunks had slipped and fallen on my foot, and this was painful. 
And now this disheartening word about further passage just made 
me wish I was back in the U.S. A. I started to cry, though I tried 
so hard to keep the tears back. 

Then they asked me whether I had had lunch. And I replied 
aHIN Oss 

So I was taken to a nearby restaurant and had a cup of hot 
cocoa, and a little lunch, and this helped to take away a good 
bit of the gloom. 

One of the missionaries, being home on furlough, just then in 
the office, went out to search for a place for me. 


bd 


60 Pioneering for Christ tn the Sudan 


In the evening he took me to a very kind Christian woman, 
an American, who had a large home for missionaries traveling 
to and fro, and she so lovingly greeted and welcomed me. At 
once a heavy load seemed to be lifted, and the world seemed 
quite normal again. 

Then I began to pray and ask the Lord to open the way so 
that I might not have to wait all this time in England. After 
a few days, I believed that my prayer would be answered, and 
that by the end of the year I would be started on my next ocean 
journey for the west coast of Africa. The secretary, Mr. Dawson, 
did not encourage me in this. He said, “It will only be possible 
if someone else cancels their passage, and seeing there are so 
very few women traveling to West Africa, makes it even more 
difficult.” 

October and November went by. December came, and every- 
body was making plans for Christmas. The year would soon be 
ended, and there seemed not the slightest intimation that I 
might get a passage. 

One day, the 22nd, I came in at noon, and there was a tele- 
gram message for me. How eagerly I tore open that message and 
read and re-read the following, “Passage booked for you Decem- 
ber 31st.” 

This incident tremendously strengthened my faith. Only 
nine days did I have to get ready, for I had still my tropical 
outfit to buy. But what a joy it was to know that now I would be 
on the ocean, en route to West Africa, and would not hear the 
“Old Year ring out and the New Year ring in.” We had special 
prayer of thanksgiving, and sang, 


“All the way my Savior leads me, 
What have I to ask beside?” 


* * * * * * * 


The steamer from Liverpool to Lagos was very small compared 
with the Mauretania. Most of the passengers were men, govern- 
ment officials, traders, miners, and some who had other positions 
in the larger towns along the coast. There were only nine 
women passengers. There were four missionaries aboard. 


SHIGJOUTTOUINOS {LEI ee oh 61 


Once again we were thrown into “perils in the sea.” You 
may remember that in January, 1920, a large steamer—lI believe 
a French boat—was thrown upon the rocks just off the coast of 
Spain. Over three hundred people went down into the deep and 
perished. We were on the ocean in this same storm. For two 
days the captain was not able to turn the boat, and we were 
heading straight for New York. I remember one night that we 
could not sleep at all, due to the excessive motion of the ship. 
We had to hold ourselves down into the berth. On the fourth day 
the storm ceased, but the water was still very rough. On the 
sixth day I left the cabin for the first time since boarding the 
vessel. It is marvelous how the fresh air revives and stimulates 
one. And the trip became a real pleasure when we once entered 
the tropical waters. In a few days we came out of the bitter cold 
in midwinter to the burning sun of the tropics. It was also 
very interesting to stop at different ports along the West African 
coast. 

On the nineteenth day all four missionaries disembarked at 
Lagos. Two of the missionaries had their home and work right 
there in this large town. It being Sunday, they took me along 
to their home. The next morning I was to get a train to go up 
country. 

Here at Lagos was evidence that the “Gospel of Jesus Christ 
is the power of God unto salvation.” In the evening I was taken 
into a beautiful large church, and heard a splendid sermon. The 
message was in English and given by a native minister. Today this 
man, an African, is promoted to the high position of Bishop. For 
over a hundred years the Church Missionary Society of England 
has been working at several coast towns. And today they have 
a large ordained native ministry, many trained evangelists, thou- 
sands of converts, large church buildings, and several schools of 
high standing. 

Early Monday morning the train pulled out of Lagos. I was 
to go as far as Minna, making a journey of from twenty-four to 
thirty hours in the train. A telegram had been sent to the mis- 
sionaries at Minna asking them to meet me at the station, as I 
was traveling alone. 


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Cm GUITLCUUIOS CL(CIia es ae a 63 


Arriving there, I found a splendid station, with school, chapel, 
and printing establishment. But the missionaries were in sorrow. 
The day before I arrived they had received a message of the death 
of one of their single lady missionaries, at some remote station. 
The girl who died was a Canadian, and out on her first term of 
service. She walked out early one morning and was bitten by 
a very small, deadly poisonous black snake. On the third day, 
after violent convulsions, just before the doctor arrived, she 
passed away. Of course this news was a great shock to all the 
other workers. 

For three days I was at this station, and then continued my 
journey by taking another train from Minna to Baro, traveling 
from morning until evening. 

At this place there was no mission station, and I had to wait 
five days for the arrival of a small steamer to take me to Lokoja. 
There was a trading center here, with a few white men in charge. 
They were very kind to me and helpful, and I had a splendid 
opportunity to speak to them about their need of the Lord and 
His saving grace. 

The next journey was pleasant. I boarded a very small 
steamer and we sailed over the broad Niger River from dawn 
until seven o’clock in the evening, when we anchored at Lokoja, 
where a missionary was waiting to meet me. 

There are so few white people in the interior of Africa, that 
it is not hard to make acquaintance. And one readily feels at 
home with missionaries. 

So, after a good clean-up, we had our evening meal, and sat 
outside to enjoy a beautiful evening in the tropics. This mis- 
sionary had been in the country for years, and belonged to the 
Church Missionary Society of England. We chatted quite a 
while, and it seemed I answered no end of questions, when he 
said: “Now I will tell you the situation. You still have the 
river journey to make. As far as we know there are no other 
missionaries coming soon, and due to the extreme heat at this 
place, I should judge it unwise for you to remain here any longer 
than necessary. Would you be afraid to make that journey 
alone?” 


64 Pioneering for Christ tn the Sudan 


“How many days would it take me?” I asked. 

“All of two weeks,” he answered. 

“Do you think it would be all right for me to go on alone?” 

‘As far as I know no white woman has ever taken that journey 
alone. You are at a disadvantage by being new, unaccustomed 
to the country, the climate and the people. And you do not have 
the language. But, seeing you have come this far alone, I think 
it would be all right. However I shall have to speak to the 
government official in the morning and ask him.” 

The next morning I was introduced to the government official. 
He asked me several questions, especially regarding what training 
I had received in medical work. From Lokoja to Ibi was almost 
three hundred miles, and there was no doctor in all that distance. 
For this reason the official wanted to find out whether I would 
know what to do in case I became ill on the way. After a little 
he agreed with the missionary that I should proceed, and at once 
we began to make arrangements. 

A river barge was hired from one of the trading places. This 
barge was a flat-bottom steel boat. It was divided into four sec- 
tions, having a small roof over the two center sections which 
was to be my home for two weeks. It was all open, without a 
cabin and dressing room. My baggage was to be in the third sec- 
tion, while the fourth would act as a kitchen, where my food 
and the food of the natives would be cooked. 

Next in order, a crew had to be found. This only took an 
hour. A reliable headman with twelve other men who were to 
do the poling, a youth to act as cook for the entire crew, and the 
wife of the headman, a company of fourteen Africans who were 
to accompany me. Besides this was a lad who was to do my 
cooking and marketing. 

With the help of the kind missionary a supply of foodstuffs 
was bought at the market, and deposited in the barge. Sweet 
potatoes, yams, eggs, onions, peanut butter oil for frying, etc., 
etc., plus a couple of small live West African fowls. 

By late afternoon we were all ready. The missionary took me 
down to the river beach, giving me some final instructions and 
advice, especially urging me to drink no water unless it was 


ie OUITeGU LOS: O; LElteas an. © 65 


thoroughly boiled. He gave some further instructions to the 
headman and the crew, but I did not understand a word of this, 
as it was in the Hausa language. We shook hands, he left the 
barge, and the polers pushed hard and soon the little boat was 
started on its long journey up the Binue River. 

About sundown the crew began to argue. I could not say a 
word, as I did not understand what it was all about. Later I 
could reason it out. Some wanted to stop and anchor for the 
night at a certain nearby sandbank. Others wanted to push on 
some more before they stopped for the night. I saw one pull 
out from his leather girdle a native knife, a long pointed instru- 
ment, over an inch wide. This looked to me for all the world 
like a dagger, and I began to be afraid. Would they dare to 
kill me, and throw my body into the river, and steal my baggage? 

At last we stopped. The men jumped from the barge to the 
sandbank, fastened the boat, unrolled their sleeping mats, made 
a little fire, and sat around to palaver. Then, seated around two 
large bowls of food, they enjoyed their evening meal. After this 
they went to sleep. I stayed in the barge, and just managed to 
get my camp bed put up in the largest section. But this expe- 
rience was all so new for me. And I was still not sure about the 
use of that knife. So for a long while I tossed and tossed, finally 
dropping off to sleep. 

Early in the morning we pushed off again. With the fresh 
strength the men were able to push hard and the poles swayed 
with perfect rhythm. We went quite fast until about nine o’clock, 
when we stopped so the crew could have breakfast. I got out 
and walked around the sandbank for some exercise. 

Though I could not talk with anyone, seeing they understood 
no English, the days did not seem to drag. I had a good bit of 
reading material, and many letters to write, as well as some 
sewing, and would rest to enjoy the scenery along the river bank. 
One day the men called out to me, and then pointed in a certain 
direction. Sure enough, there was a lion, right at the edge of 
the river. He had come for a drink. This was the first wild 
animal I saw in Africa, and it gave me quite a thrill. 

On the sixth day I was not able to rise in the morning. Every 


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Clips OUrMeU INOS Cte ee 67 


time I lifted my head I got so dizzy and faint, and would have 
to lie down again. I did not know what this strange feeling could 
mean. Toward noon it was some better, and I got up. In the 
evening we came to a rather large town, and stopped for the 
night. There was a white man here who had charge of a trading 
center. Hearing of our arrival, he came down to see me, and 
invited me up to his house for the evening meal. I accepted, 
and told him of the strange dizziness in my head that morning. 
He was able to diagnose it at once. He said it was due to the 
reflection of the sun on the water, that I should be very careful, 
wear my helmet, etc., as it was a very bad thing to get an attack 
of sun in Africa. 

For the rest of the journey all went well. On the fifteenth day 
after leaving Lokoja, we arrived at Ibi, and here I was met by the 
field seeretary of the Sudan United Mission. Now I felt at home. 
After our greeting, he said to me, “It has been decided that you 
are to go to the Takum district where we are about to open a 
new station.” Then he smiled and added, “They are a cannibal 
people, but I hope you won’t be eaten. However, you won't be 
going just immediately. You can go up to the house, and [ will 
see to your baggage.” 

At four o’clock we had tea. After that Mr. F asked me, 
“Do American ladies ride a bicycle?” I replied, “Not like they do 
in England, but many of our girls ride.” ‘“‘What about yourself, 
have you ever been on a wheel?” “Yes, when a girl, but that is 
many years ago.” “Fine, one never forgets. We will go and try.” 

There was a lady’s wheel that I could use pro tem, and out to 
the path we strolled. I managed a mile or two, and he said that 
would do. “In the morning you will go to Wukari. Mr. H 
will accompany you.” 

“How far is Wukari from here, please?” I asked. 

‘About twenty-five miles.” 

“Can we make that in one day on the bicycle?” 

“IT think you'll manage it all right.” 

iemnextemMOrinng Mr. ti andr awere: Olle aL dawns | 
pushed and pushed, but that was a long twenty-five miles. We 
sat on the roadside and had a sandwich and a drink of water. 








68 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Then we pushed some more. The sun grew so hot. Not accus- 
tomed to this heat, my heart began to beat so fast. Every hill we 
came to, I would get off and walk. Then at last, about eleven 
o’clock, we came to Wukari, and there I drank about seven cups 
of hot tea. 

After another week I was to go on to Donga, another twenty- 
five miles, where I would be stationed for some months for 
language study, etc. 

Before graduating from missionary school, I had chosen as 
a life motto a certain verse from Joshua. All along this journey, 
from New York to the great Sudan in Central Africa, I was 
strengthened by this life-motto text: 

“Be strong and of good courage; be not 
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for 


the Lord thy God is with thee whither- 
soever thou goest.” 





Boarding school pupils in school dress. See page 139, 


CHAPTER VI 


The fields are white unto the harvest, Lord, 
Their golden treasures wait on every side; 
But how shall all their priceless wealth be stored? 
The reapers are so few—the world so wide. 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


The fields are Thine, with Love's great ransom bought, 
The precious blood of Thy beloved Son, 
Tis long since His redeeming work was wrought, 
Yet scarce the reaping seems to be begun. 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


To us, Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed, 
To us belong the sin, the humbling shame; 
We have not reaped, we have but slept and dreamed, 
Nor called with holy ardour on Thy name. 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


Awake Thy Church, ere yet the day departs, 
For while she sleeps swift works the reaper, Death; 
O God, forgive, and into torpid hearts 
Send, like a mighty wind, Thy quickening breath! 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


Come from the South, O Wind! come from the North, 
And from thy garden make the spices flow! 
Their fragrance sweet throughout the earth shed forth, 
Till God’s great gift to men all men shall know. 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


The glory, Father, shall be Thine; Thy Son 
With joy the fruit of all His travail see; 
Thy will on earth shall as in heaven be done, 
And heaven and earth make one full harmony. 
Lord, send the labourers forth! 


BOAR ARAN AN AR AD AS A OR AD BD AD AR AOA 


CHAPTER VI 


THEY CACLIOR THES UDAN 


*The Sudan is that part of Africa lying immediately south of. 
the Sahara and Egypt, stretching from the Gambia and Senegal 
in the west to Abyssinia in the east, and having for its southern 
boundaries, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Dahomey, Southern 
Nigeria, Southern Cameroons, Belgian Congo and Uganda. It is 
not an exactly defined geographical entity, but this description 
of its limits is generally accepted. Its name is said to be part of a 
term applied to it by the Arabs and others from North Africa, 
who, crossing the Great Desert, came to a country where the 
people were mainly of a darker colour than themselves, and 
named it Bilad-es-Sudan, “‘The Land of the Blacks.”’ 

This vast region is now under the control of Great Britain and 
France, but until twenty-five years ago the greater part of it was 
largely closed to Europeans. As a result of this, it was only when 
the power of the slave-raiding Moslem emirates had been broken, 
and their victims and enemies, the pagan tribes, warring also 
amongst themselves, had been brought under administration by 
the British and French governments, that the country became 
open to missionary effort; although previous attempts had been 
made and lives laid down to enter and claim the Sudan for 
Christ. When taken over by the European governments, great 
sections of the country had been devastated and millions of the 
people slaughtered, largely in the previous half-century, by the 
constant slave-raiding and inter-tribal warfare. The evangeli- 
zation of the Sudan is therefore a thing of comparatively recent 
origin and growth, all missionary effort, save at a few centers, 
having been begun within the past twenty years, and much of it 
during the last decade. 


any 


ig. Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 

The Sudan is occupied by hundreds of tribes of people, most 
of them speaking different languages, or dialects of the same 
language so varied as almost to constitute a different tongue. 
Roughly speaking, the peoples of the northern section of the 
region are Mohammedan in faith, while in the southern portion 
the tribes are pagan; but there are Mohammedan towns and 
colonies here and there among the pagans, and pagan tribes may 
still be found in the Moslem areas. The varied stages of civiliza- 
tion reached by these peoples cover a wide range, from the com- 
paratively advanced social organization of the powerful Moham- 
medan emirates, with their written laws, history and literature, 
to the loose structure of the primitive and wild cannibal tribes, 
divided into quarreling clans and families, uniting only to meet 
a common foe. 

In 1904, the Sudan United Mission was organized to evangelize 
the Sudan because at the time no other society could undertake 
to meet this urgent need. Largely owing to the propaganda of the 
mission, other societies are now helping to occupy the field, but 
nowhere does the S. U. M. encroach upon their work. Its mis- 
sionaries are engaged in pioneer work on virgin soil, taking the 
gospel of Salvation to peoples who had no chance of receiving 
it otherwise, and who are now hearing for the first time the 
message which has been known to us and to our fathers for so 
many generations. 

The Sudan United Mission has already begun work among 
some thirty tribes in Nigeria, Western Sudan, French Central 
Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan on the eastern side of the con- 
tinent. 

There are many tribes of people in the Sudan still waiting for 
the messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ. One could travel 1,500 
miles through Central Sudan, visiting tribe after tribe, each with 
its different customs and languages, and in all that distance there 
would be found only a few missionaries of the gospel. Going in 
another direction, through the Western Sudan, a thousand miles 
could be traversed in which only about a score of witnesses for 
Christ would be discovered. 


The Call of the Sudan les 


Mohammedan missionaries are to be met with in large and 
increasing numbers. Traders from the Mohammedan tribes are 
penetrating into the pagan districts in all directions, and every 
one of them, true to his faith, acts as a missionary for the false 
prophet. Following the traders are the teachers, who set up 
schools to teach the Koran, capturing the young people. 

If the gospel is not speedily taken to the many pagan peoples 
of the Sudan, the next generation will be Mohammedan, 

Now they are open and ready to listen to the gospel of the Lord 
Jesus Christ; then they will be antagonistic to Him as Lord and 
Savior, they will deny His deity, His atonement, and His resur- 
rection; for Mohammedanism is a strongly anti-Christian faith. 
Now, as pagans, they welcome the gospel as a message of salva- 
tion from the bondage of their fetishism; then, as Mohammedans, 
they will reject the gospel with scorn and unbelief. 

“For five years I have been watching the road for the coming 
of a teacher.” So said a chief in the Sudan to one of the Sudan 
United Mission workers. As yet we have not been able to send 
a teacher to him and his people. 

He still waits! ! ! 

And the Savior also waits! ! ! 

To whom shall they go—CHRIST or MOHAMMED? 








*“Most of this chapter I gathered from the very recent literature 
of the Sudan United Mission, with which I am connected. 
ARAN 





Group of Lupwe boarding school pupils. See page 139. 


CHAPTER VII 


“Ask what I shall give thee .. . 


“Give therefore thy servant an un- 


Diy, 


derstanding heart . . . 


PARA RD AS AS ES BES PR RS RE ES RR ORS, RE RES 


CHAPTER VII 
GETTING ACQUAINTED 


In the western part of the Sudan is found that large British 
protectorate, Nigeria. It is four times the size of Great 
Britain, and is, next to the Nile delta, the most densely populated 
region in Africa. Nigeria is divided politically into northern and 
southern provinces, with a combined population of eighteen and 
a half millions. 

The Sudan United Mission is working in the northern prov- 
ince, which has a population of ten and a half millions. Accord- 
ing to the last census it was found that there are over two hun- 
dred and fifty tribes, mostly speaking different languages. 

Prior to 1901 there was only one mission station in the whole 
of Northern Nigeria, under the Church Missionary Society of 
England. The name of the station is Lokoja. 

If you will turn to the map showing the mission stations in 
Northern Nigeria at the present day, you will note the tremendous 
advance during the past quarter of a century. You will note that 
twenty of these mission stations belong to the Sudan United 
Mission. 

On the River Binue (No. 34), you will find a place called Ibi. 
This is the headquarters of our mission, and the place where [| 
landed after the long river journey up the Binue from Lokoja. 
Twenty-five miles south of Ibi is Wukari(No. 35). This was my first 
bicycle trip in the Sudan. After a week at Wukari I proceeded to 
Donga, twenty-five miles southeast (No. 36). I was at Donga for 
seven months and then returned again to Wukari. 

Everything was so new and strange. First there were the 
missionaries to meet and get acquainted with. Then, too, the 
country which was all so wild looking. No paved streets or 


Piha 


78 Pioneering for Christin the Sudan 


straight paths. Just foot-trails. Not a single light at night, except 
it be moonlight. The missionaries had kerosene lamps. There 
were certain strict rules which had to be adhered to. Among 
them the following: 


a. Do not drink water that has not been thoroughly boiled. 

b. Never walk about in the dark without having on mosquito 
boots. (This is a high leather boot, and is also for pro- 
tection against scorpions, centipedes, and snakes.) 

c. Take five grains of quinine daily to fight the fever. 

d. Do not risk going out in the sun without a helmet. (This 
is a broad-brim cork or rubber ‘hat. It is heavy and 
awkward, and rather a burden at first, but a most won- 
derful invention for protection against the terrific rays 
of the sun.) 


I shall not forget my second bicycle trip in Africa. It was one 
of those long twenty-five-mile rides. We started very early in 
the morning. In fact, as soon as we could see the outline of a 
path, we mounted the wheel. This was done to get the benefit 
of the cool of the morning. At first I was very nervous. A 
doctor was with me, and he said I was to ride first so as to set 
the pace and also so that, in case I should fall, he would be near. 
It was still dusk, and I prayed constantly to be able to see the 
path. After we got out five miles, the sun began to rise, and one 
had no difficulty in seeing the way. But now the path became 
more rugged, and in places very narrow with a kind of ditch 
on either side, and I found myself sighing, ““O Lord, help me to 
keep on the path.’ About ten o’clock we saw in the bush a herd 
of very large deer with great long horns. Such beautiful crea- 
tures! The doctor, having a rifle with him, suggested we stop 
and he would try to shoot one. Leaving our wheels at a tree, we 
began to step softly into the bush so as to get nearer the deer. 
He fired a few shots, and struck one of them. But it was not 
a fatal shot, and hence he felt duty bound to trace the blood of 
the deer and try to shoot at him again. It would be unkind to 
leave a wounded animal to suffer. Well, this hunting expedition 
took over an hour of our time. Meanwhile the sun grew hotter, 


Getting Acquainted 79 


and we still had several miles to push the pedals. Just coming 
from a cold climate, I felt the heat very much. And not being 
used to the wheel as yet, my whole body seemed weak and sore. 
It was after lunch when we came to our destination, and I threw 
myself down to rest, wondering how many more days like this 
I might have in Africa. 

The first duty of every missionary is to get a working knowl- 
edge of the language. It is impossible to get friendly with the 
people unless one can speak their tongue. 

So, during the first year, the bulk of the time was spent at 
this tremendous task. 

What terrific havoc the tower of Babel has wrought in this 
world! Every tribe we come to speaks a different tongue. And 
some of the pagan languages are so limited. No word for “sin,” 
“repentance,” “preach,” “‘Holy Spirit,” etc., etc., in many of these 
tongues. Think of what that means to the missionary. 

Then one begins to do some school work. One wishes to 
teach the multiplication tables. For ‘“‘twenty” these people in 
Donga say “one man’; for “forty” they say “two men.” A man 
has ten fingers and ten toes—hence “twenty means one man.” 


4 times 5 equals one man 
6 times 5 equals one man and ten (not one man and a half) 
8 times 5 equals two men 


Fifty miles from Donga you come to the tribe where I am at 
present. There the people speak an entirely different language. 
It is full of nasal sounds, plus a great many queer sounds which 
one can only make by exploding the breath from different parts 
of the mouth. Their system of numerals seems to go only as high 
as 5, and then begins over. As for example, to say 7, you must 
say “dS and 2.” Think of teaching the multiplication tables in 
this tongue: 5 and 2 times 5 and 3 (meaning 7x8). 

Many of these languages have not as yet been reduced to 
writing. It often takes years to get a single gospel translated into 
one of these tribal languages. 

Most of our missionaries begin by learning the Hausa language. 
This is the trade language of Northern Nigeria, and used by the 


80 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Mohammedans. Their teachers are able to read and write the 
“character” form. The missionaries have translated (using the 
Roman letters) the entire New Testament, five books of the Old 
Testament, as well as several primers and books for school use. 

By the end of this first year I had a working knowledge of this 
Hausa language, and was able to begin a little direct missionary 
work. 

During the first year I treated many patients in the dispensary, 
and did some visiting among the people in company with some 
more experienced worker. There was ample opportunity to 
attend services in the chapel and to personally become acquainted 
with the converts and the people in general. 

One day I had the joy of seeing a Christian couple (both con- 
verts of Wukari) united in marriage in the chapel. It was a 
Christian ceremony, the vows taken being the same as in our 
homeland. What an uplift and encouragement to a new worker 
to thus see the power of the gospel. 

But this wedding day was also a funeral day. We passed from 
the ceremony of joy in the Christian chapel to the tiny cemetery 
half a mile away. 

A certain young man, coming from some town a long way 
off, was taken ill at this place. He came to the dispensary, and 
the doctor (at that time we had a doctor at Wukari) sought to 
help him. It was proved he had cancer, and after quite a period 
of care and treatment, he died. While the doctor saw to the 
digging of the grave, another missionary and I wrapped the corpse 
for burial. I secretly hoped that I would not have much of this 
kind of work to do. We then wrapped the body in a grass mat, 
and after the wedding ceremony, the Christian young men car- 
ried it up to the place of burial. There the missionary spoke 
a few fitting words on the text, “I was a stranger, and ye took 
me in.” 

At the end of my first year, it was decided that I go along 
with another missionary, Rev. C. L. Whitman, who had already 
spent years in the country, where we were to open the new 
station in the Takum district among a cannibal people. 


lebae deter MAMH 


AlCrU 20510) epd11L 
Again and again, 
Is borne o’er the deserts and wide-spreading main; 
A cry from the lands that in darkness are lying, 
A cry from the hearts that tn sorrow are sighing; 
It comes unto me; 
It comes unto thee; 
Oh what—oh what shall the answer be? 


BRIAR AR AR AR PRA AR BH RB BS BE RS RES RD 





CHAPTER VUlI 
ENTERING THE CANNIBAL DISTRICT 


It was the first day of February, 1921, when we came to 
Lupwe, which was henceforth to be my permanent home. It was 
not a cold winter day, such as you may imagine, for we never 
have any winter in this part of Africa. February is about the 
hottest month of the year, and on this particular day, covering 
thirty miles on the wheel, we got a good share of sunburn. 

For the Christmas holidays I had gone over to Donga, where 
we have a little group of Christians. After the festive season I 
settled down to pack all my belongings. There were a great 
many loads, each one weighing not more than sixty pounds, and 
when ready, I tried to find men who would take these loads and 
carry them (on their heads) to Lupwe, a distance of fifty-five 
miles. It was a great relief to see the last load carried out of 
the mission compound. For a week I had been at Donga alone, 
and now that all my possessions had gone on, I could start off 
the next morning. I was to go to Wukari, where another mis- 
sionary would join me to continue part of the next journey. 
From Donga to Wukari is twenty-five miles, and for the major 
part of the way one meets very few people on the path. 

Several of the Christians were at the mission compound early 
in the morning and came along with me to the bank of the river. 
Bidding them good-bye, I stepped into a small native canoe, to- 
gether with three of the Christians who would see me over the 
river and safely across a large swamp on the other side of the 
river. 

Nearly an hour had passed since we left the compound, and 
the morning time being so precious, I did not stop to talk much 
with anyone along the way, but hastily expressed my thanks and 


[ 83 | 


84 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


appreciation to the Christians for their kindness and mounted 
the wheel. After pushing along about three miles, the front tire 
suddenly went flat. I stopped. to see if the little leather case 
contained any material for mending a puncture. It did have a 
fair amount of patches, but no solution. So I was quite helpless. 
Hoping that it might not be a puncture, I unfastened the pump 
and began to pump up the tire. Then I mounted again, and rode 
about forty yards when all the air had escaped and it was as 
flat as before. I stood for a little while deliberating what to do. 
“Shall I go back?” This would be useless as I had sent off all my 
loads and provisions. “Shall I proceed to walk it?” Twenty-two 
miles is a long way to walk. I had only one water bottle, which 
would surely not suffice for a whole day. The bicycle not being 
my own [ did not dare to ride it with a flat tire. 
Then in my distress I cried unto the Lord, and asked Him to 
help me! 
What a friend we have in Jesus, 
All our cares and griefs to bear; 


What a privilege to carry 
Everything to God in prayer. 


Once again I pumped up the tire and began to ride. Mile 
after mile, winding in and out, crossing small native-made 
bridges, noticing along the way here and there the fresh tracks 
of deer and antelope, listening to the familiar sound of the 
cricket, as well as the buzzing of other insects, I rode on. How 
sweetly the birds sang that morning! Nor was there any fear 
of wild animals! What was it that suddenly caused my spirit to 
be so glad? 

Heaven above is softer blue, 
Earth around is sweeter green! 
Something lives in every hue 
Christless eyes have never seen: 
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, 
Flowers with deeper beauties shine, 


Since I know, as now I know, 
I am His and He is mine. 


For eight miles I went along pushing, praying, singing, and 
watching the front tire. Looking up, I saw another bicycle 
approaching. It was one of the Wukari converts who had been 


Entering the Cannibal District 85 


taught to ride the wheel so that he might act as messenger in 
case of any emergency. The missionaries, knowing I was coming 
that morning, and thinking what a long lonely trail this was, very 
kindly sent this messenger to meet me and accompany me the 
rest of the journey. After the usual greeting, I told him the 
experience I had had with the tire, and we went on. When still 
about eight miles from Wukari, my front tire again went flat. 
The Christian youth said, “White lady, I will change the tires. 
I will give you one of mine, and then I[ will walk in the rest of 
the way.” Out of the bush came a rather aged black man—a 
hunter. He had been out with spear, bow and arrows to see if 
he could find any meat. He stopped to greet us, and asked 
whether we were in trouble. Then L——, the young man who 
was with me said, “Yes, we have a little trouble, not much. We 
need rubber, but have none with us.” The old hunter smiled, 
and said, ‘‘There is a rubber tree just off the path, will that not 
help you?” Looking up, L saw the rubber tree, went over 
to it, broke off a small branch, and there flowed a tiny bit of 
rubber. With this he was able to put on a patch, and thus re- 
pair the puncture. 

How marvelous! In that part of the bush there are not many 
rubber trees. In His own wonderful way the Lord undertook, 
and kept that tire hard until we got just to the spot on the road 
where we would find what we needed, and then He lead this 
hunter to us to point out the tree! 

Again my faith was strengthened, and since that day—yes, 
it would take pages to tell you “how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.”’ 

After a few days at Wukari, we proceeded (another lady 
missionary and myself) to Zaki Biam, one of the stations of the 
Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa. This trip was thirty 
miles, and very pleasant as we had each other for company. 
From there we went to Salatu, twenty-five miles, another station of 
Dutch Reformed Church Mission. How I enjoyed the fellowship 
with these friends! What a treat it was to sing the Holland 
psalms! 

Then on the last day of February I went to Lupwe, thirty 
miles due south, and upon arrival sang softly, ‘“‘Be it ever so 
humble, there’s no place like home.” 





86 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


To be sure it was humble! It was a new station with only 
a few huts, most of them unfinished. The dishes were put on the 
dirt floor (we had as yet no beaten floor in the huts), and of 
course we could not boast of such luxury as a cupboard. A 
rope was tied from one end of the hut to the other in order that 
I might thus hang up some of my extra clothes. But all this did 
not in the least seem like inconvenience. To me this was HOME! 
Had not the field secretary, aS soon as I arrived at Ibi, said that 
Takum district was to be the place where I would be stationed? 
Did I not look forward to coming here for one whole year? 

The name of the station is Lupwe. There is no village or 
town right near. For health and other reasons the government 
has made a law that the white people have to live a certain num- 
ber of yards away from any native village. This place was 
chosen because it seemed to be centrally located. Four miles 
north is Takum, the largest town in our district. This town 
boasts a population of three thousand, and here too lives the big 
chief, who has charge of all the people in this Takum district. 
The district is over eighty miles from north to south, with fifteen 
thousand people. 

When erecting a new mission station, a very important item 
is “Can we get sufficient water?’ Just near Lupwe station is a 
natural spring where we get all our water. The animals drink 
from this spring, especially in the dry season, when it is the only 
water available all about us. The people step into the spring 
with their bare feet as they dip it for us in large tins and carry 
it up to the compound. But for drinking purpose we boil and 
filter all our water. 

Lupwe is beautifully situated in the midst of many hills. 
These are the foothills of the Cameroon mountain range. When 
we first came to Lupwe many of the people lived up on the top 
of these mountains. In this way they felt protected against the 
enemy. The remnant of the people, as we find them today, have 
survived many years of bitter tribal wars. In such wars thou- 
sands might be killed. Smallpox, influenza, and other epidemics 
have caused heavy and sudden decrease in the population from 
time to time. One may well imagine that the death rate of such 


Entering the Cannibal District 87 


a people would be high, there being no doctor or hospital, and 
no knowledge of the laws of sanitation and isolation. After one 
is a little bit acquainted with conditions it is not hard to believe 
the sad fact that half the children born die before they are five 
years old! 

The name of the tribe is Dzompere, and the meaning of this 
name interprets to us the kind of people they are: pere, a man; 
Dzom, to. eat; Dzompere, to eat a man. In plain language— 
Cannibais. 

Due to their tribal wars, witchcraft cruelties, cannibalism, and 
frequent murder, the government would not readily give permis- 
sion for missionaries to be stationed here. But after much prayer, 
the day came when that permission was granted, and soon we 
went to declare to these people, who so long have walked in 
midnight darkness, the gospel of Jesus, Who said, “I am the Light 
of the world.” 








A group of Dzompere gathered to listen to the “‘Story of Jesus.” 
See page 158. 


88 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


They are a very primitive people. Never having seen white 
folks before, they were much afraid of us at first. 

The people living among these hills wear very little or no 
clothing. The women generally wear great bunches of leaves, 
which they tie to a string of beads about the waistline. But a 
great many women wear nothing more than several strings of 
beads about the waist. The men wear a loincloth or a skin of 
some animal which they have killed in the bush. It may be a 
monkey skin or a pretty stripe covering of some antelope or 
small deer. The children go about, clad in their black birthday 
suit until ten or twelve years of age. 

The people live in small, round clay huts with grass thatch 
roofs. A householder will have a whole cluster of tiny huts. He 
may have several wives, and consequently a goodly number of 
children, and must build sufficient huts for all his family, plus the 
chickens, goats, sheep, and storehut for his food. 

They are a farming people, having as yet very little contact 
with the world outside the border of their own tribe. All the 
farming is done by hand with small native implements. Corn, 
guinea corn, sweet potato, peanuts, pumpkin, beans, and a few 
native vegetables are their main products. There are thousands 
of oil palm trees in the district, and this oil is used very freely 
with all their food preparations. Salt is being introduced lately, 
but when the people knew no salt they used ashes as a substitute 
for salt. Bananas (the large unsweetened kind) and pawpaw 
(a kind of melon) are the chief fruits grown by the natives. 
Much tobacco is raised and used freely by the women as well as 
the men. Beer is consumed in large quantities, being made from 
the guinea corn. 

Much of the farm work is done by the men and the women 
together. Sometimes when a man is making a new farm, he will 
ask his neighbors and relatives to come and help him clear the 
ground of trees, stumps, stones, etc., and to turn over the soil. 
He cannot pay them in money, but will have several pots of beer 
ready, and this is reckoned as ample return for the labor given. 
Then the seed is planted. When the corn grows to fifteen or 
twenty inches above the ground, it is necessary for someone to 


Entering the Cannibal District 89 


sit in the farm to scare away the monkeys. It is a great blessing 
that monkeys do not come out after dark, or they might do much 
damage to the fields, as the people would be afraid to sit up all 
night to frighten them away. Three times during the season a 
farm is weeded. In the rainy season there is much moisture, 
which, together with the very great heat of the sun, causes the 
coarse grass and other weeds to grow with amazing speed. (There 
is much of this long grass in Africa during the rainy season. | 
have ploughed my way through some that was all of ten or twelve 
feet tall. When the rainy season is over, it is cut and used to 
make roofs for the huts.) When, finally, the corn is ripe, it is 
cut down, put in bundles, and carried home. Most of it is carried 
by the women folk. Then it is stored in a kind of clay granary, 
and used for food and beer. 

You may be interested to know just what a woman does to keep 
busy all day long. She wears no clothes, and consequently does 
no sewing, washing, ironing and mending. Besides helping with 
the work of the farm and carrying the produce from the farm to 
their home (this is sometimes a distance of ten or twelve miles), 
she has the care of her children, and the grinding of all the corn, 
as well as the cooking of the food. She must also carry all the 
water that is used for cooking, drinking, and washing. She has 
to go out to the bush and get the firewood. She must gather what 
she needs for cooking, and then some spare wood for a fire by 
night in case it is chilly. Sleeping on a grass mat on the floor, 
and with no blanket, a little fire with plenty of smoke adds to 
their comfort. The cooking pots are made of clay, then baked, 
and this also belongs to the woman’s share of work. 

The men build the huts, cut the grass, weave some rope from 
the long grass or from the palm leaves, cut the bamboo sticks 
needed to make the frame of the roof, and after tying the frame 
together, and putting it in place on the clay wall of the hut, they 
tie the grass on, layer upon layer, making it thick enough to 
keep out the rain. The sleeping mats are generally woven by 
the men. Some build a clay bed inside the hut. Very often the 
men go out hunting. They make large nets (weaving the rope 
themselves) and take along spears and bow and arrows. Quite 


90 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


frequently a leopard trap is made, and many a wild beast has 
been speared to death after getting itself caught in such a trap. 

Any kind of meat is acceptable to the natives. Rats and ants 
are roasted and eaten. Lizard, large non-poisonous snake, mon- 
key, dog, lion, leopard, buffalo, and hippopotamus are never to 
be despised. They are all considered a “rare treat.” 

Arriving at our station Lupwe, my home, and taking note of 
the humble mud huts dotted 6ver that compound, I said, 


“A hut, or a mansion, what matter where? 
Where Jesus is, ’tis heaven there.” 


But it was not long before I found out that, outside the walls of 
our hut, there was nothing to remind us of heaven. 

The darkness that reigned throughout that district was ap- 
palling! At times it seemed to crush me on every side! It isa 
sickening sight to see a host of heathen dancing and drinking 
beer until they get to that pitch where passion and lust have full 
control. 

Besides this particular tribe, the Dzompere, we had in our dis- 
trict that large town of Takum, with the Mohammedan settlement 
and a large majority of Jukun. ‘Towards the south could be 
found a few more towns like this, with a predominant Jukun 
population and a small Mohammedan settlement. North of Ta- 
kum, but within the border of our district, were two more towns 
of like nature. The Jukun is a very large tribe to the north and 
sast of us. It has a distinct language of its own. 

Summing up the district we were responsible for a territory 
eighty miles long, with fifteen thousand people, representing the 
entire Dzompere tribe, a few thousand of the Jukun tribe, and 
some Mohammedans. 

This was the first mission station opened in this district and 
we were the first white people to be stationed here. 

Would we ever, in this district, among this cannibal people, 
see the prophecy fulfilled, “The people that walked in darkness 
have seen a great light—they that dwell in the land of the shadow 
of death, upon them hath the light shined”? 


OAM EAW EAE Oat 1D 


“The Spinit of the. Lord is upon me, because 
He hath anointed me to preach the gospel 
to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the 
broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to 
fhe captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” 


BRAD AR BR A RA AIS RES BRS RE RR RS AIS 


CHAPTER IX 
THE POWER OF SPIRIT WORSHIP 


For many long centuries the great heart of Africa has been 
bound with strong coils of fetishism. Millions of people have 
been born, gone through life, and died, without knowing any- 
thing higher than the dreadful fear of ‘‘spirit worship.” 

In this world there are many false religions. Every such false 
religion is a product of the bottomless pit. And in Africa mil- 
lions of pagan people are slaves to the false religion which we 
term “fetishism.” And fetishism is nothing more and nothing 
less than spirit worship. There are “good spirits” and “evil 
spirits.” : 

It is not possible for me to give a detailed report of this pagan 
worship. Every tribe seems to have its own peculiar system, 
and only the older men of the tribe are let in on the secrets of 
how the spirits work. Should such an old man, or a “witch- 
doctor” be converted, one might get to know a great deal about 
this spirit worship. It is also necessary that one have oppor- 
tunity to compare the system of one tribe with that of another. 
A most thorough knowledge of the language is demanded to 
understand the intricate detail of fetishism. One might be ex- 
cused from all missionary work and devote a lifetime to the 
study of this religious system. My own experience has been far 
too short and too limited to dwell at length on the matter. 

However, this one thing I do know, that spirit worship is full 
of idolatry, witchcraft, superstition and fear. I might give you 
a few illustrations which have crossed the path of my own 
experience. 

In the month of April I went to a certain village. During 
this month we frequently have very heavy tornado storms. Two 
men were walking along the path and were killed in such a 


[ 93 | 


94 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


storm. The lightning struck a hut in the village and four people 
were killed. Quite naturally the people are afraid of these 
storms. I noticed that outside the huts were two short poles; 
one a straight pointed pole, the other close beside it a forked 
pole. I asked what these poles meant, and was told that they 
were the spirits guarding the hut and protecting the inmates 
against the tornado storms. The straight pointed pole was the 
female spirit and the forked pole was the male spirit. At that 
same village I went to another compound and saw a large clay 
image of a beast. I asked the meaning of this, and was told that 
this spirit was to keep away the leopards. 

The mother of one of the boys in our boarding school was 
coming along the path from the farm to her own compound, a 
distance of some ten miles. She was not far away from the 
mission station when suddenly she found herself surrounded by 
several men, who began to dance and sing, saying, ““We have 
found meat.” The men were cannibals. Though frightened, she 
was calm enough to tell a lie. She said to these men: “You think 
I am alone, but I am not alone, my husband is on the path and 
a little behind me.” Then the human flesh hunters ran off for 
fear their faces would be seen by a man, and they be asked to 
appear and give account before the big chief of the district. Of 
course the woman told her husband, and they tried to get the 
men, but were not successful. Some time afterward this woman 
had a bitter quarrel with her husband. She ran away from him, 
and was purposing to come to her son at our mission station. 
On her way, two men of the village met her, and taking her, one 
by each hand, led her back to her enraged husband. Then the 
husband said, “She is bewitched. She has an evil spirit.” 
Once a woman is told that she possesses an evil spirit, and, 
especially if that statement comes from the lips of her husband, 
she has no more desire to live. The next morning a message 
came to us that this woman was dead. She had committed 
suicide. In a small hut that was not used often, she was found 
hanging on a rope. She reasoned thus: “My husband has de- 
clared that I am possessed of an evil spirit; quite likely I shall 
soon be killed; it is better that I die at once.” 


The Power of Spirit Worship 95 


Many a little present had this woman given me when I visited 
their compound. Upon my last visit she ran down from the top 
of the hill, dressed in her garment of leaves, and came and sat 
just close beside me. She had a lovely clean body, a bright cheer- 
ful countenance, and it seemed to me that her eyes sparkled with 
affection and delight. And I can truthfully say that my heart was 
warm with love to this woman. As I mounted that hill, and stood 
beside her grave, I wept at the thought of the heavy quota of lives 
sacrificed to this cruel system of witchcraft. 

I walked over to a high rocky place where stood a very large 
tree. From this spot I got a delightful view of the mountains 
for several miles before me. As I stood there, gazing upon thou- 
sands of flourishing green palms, and upon equally many grass- 
capped huts, my soul was lifted above these towering mountains. 
I yearned for the day when God would speak, and say to these 
people: “Let there be light!” 

The ground on which I then stood was a sacred spot, the big 
tree was a spirit tree; upon these rocks human lives have been 
sacrificed ! 

Not many years ago—within the lifetime of the Christian who 
told me this, and who witnessed it with his own eyes—two 
women were killed by order of the witch-doctor. It hap- 
pened on this very hill. A terrible calamity came to the people 
of this hill. And the question immediately arose: ‘‘Who is to 
blame for this evil?” As usual, the witch-doctor was con- 
sulted. He accused two women. At a certain appointed time 
they were brought to the place of sacrifice. A group of men 
formed a kind of circle. The women were commanded to dance. 
As they danced hot irons or hot spears were touched against 
their naked body to brand them. Exhausted with pain and terror 
and dancing they fell to the ground. They were then tied to a 
palm tree and speared to death. Lest the evil spirit within them 
should escape or be committed to a leopard, should the beast 
come by night and bite from the corpse, the bodies were burned 
to ashes. 

After the Christian youth told me this pathetic story, I asked 
him whether they would only kill women in this manner. Did 


96 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


the witch-doctor never pronounce judgment upon a man. The 
answer I got was this: “It sometimes happens that a man is 
killed in some such cruel way, but when they thus kill a man, 
they first give him plenty of beer to drink. Then when he is 
full of beer, he does not feel much pain. But a woman must 
drink the whole measure of pain.” 

Should a woman expect to give birth to a child, she is urged 
to bring gifts of food and beer, or a fowl or goat, to the spirit 
house, and thus receive help in her hour of need. Such food, 
of course, is consumed by the witch-doctor and his friends. After 
the birth of a child, a mother is expected to bring more gifts in 
order to keep the spirits from getting angry and causing the 
death of her child. 

As soon as a person is afflicted with any sickness, the witch- 
doctor is consulted and whatever sacrifice he prescribes is 
brought at once. 

When a person dies, again gifts are brought to the spirit 





Virgin country with spirit hut in the foreground. See page 97. 


The Power of Spirit Worship 97 


house. At certain set periods there will be a dance to mourn 
the dead, especially in the case of a householder or a married 
woman who has ever borne a son. At such a dance many gallons 
of beer will be consumed. The spirit-man will bring messages 
from the dead person. Such a dance was once going on right 
near my hut. A Christian man was with me on the veranda, 
telling me the meaning of the weird sounds. “Now the ‘Boka’ 
(spirit-man) is telling the wives of the dead man what he wants 
them to bring. The dead man says he wants a sleeping mat, and 
a blanket, as he is cold.” After the dance is over (it may last 
three or seven days and nights) the women will work to get the 
sleeping mat and covering, and send it to the spirit house. 

I told you that the big chief lives in Takum, four miles from 
Lupwe. This chief has between ninety and a hundred wives. 
The chief himself is a heathen, though he comes often to our 
chapel, and he brings me a friendly call occasionally, and often 
sends to ask me to give him medicine, or for some other help. 
I have had many services in his compound, and have repeatedly 
dealt with him personally regarding his soul. One of his many 
wives is a Christian. She belongs to our little flock of believers, 
though as yet she is not baptized. Last year she came to me 
after a Sunday service. She looked sad and acted rather nerv- 
ous. She was carrying a heavy burden; I greeted her cordially, 
and then invited her to unburden her heart to me. It was a 
rather long story. For nearly two months the chief had been 
sick. At first the spirits were consulted and they said that one 
of the many wives of the chief was possessed of an evil spirit and 
was passing it on to her husband, and this accounted for his sick- 
ness. ‘Which wife can it be? There are so many.” A test was 
to be applied to all to find out who was the guilty one. There 
are different tests. One is to wash the eyes with ground red 
pepper. Who suffers most is the guilty one. Whatever was the 
test on this particular occasion, [ do not know. I felt led not to 
aSk ye buUteZ (the Christian wife) at first refused, saying that 
she believed in Jesus, and could have nothing to do with the 
spirits. At once they said, “Then you are the guilty person. 
You refuse the test. That proves you have given this sickness to 





98 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


your husband!” This thoroughly frightened her; she lost cour- 
age, and permitted herself to be numbered with her many sisters 
in polygamy and receive the test. Weeks went by. The chief 
did not get better. A witch-doctor from a place several miles 
away was brought in to see if he could help. He too declared 
that one of the many wives was to blame. A second test was 
ordered. Z——, with the other sin still unconfessed, had no 
power to resist, and for a second time she permitted herself to 
be put through this heathen performance. So she said to me on 
this particular Sunday: “I have committed a great sin. My heart 
has lost all its peace. Through fear I denied Jesus, and now He 
is angry with me. I want to confess my sin publicly. Maybe the 
Lord will forgive and accept me, and give me peace once again.” 
Big tears fell from her eyes to the grass mat on which she sat. 
I spoke softly to her of Him Who is ready to forgive if we confess 
our sin. We knelt together and prayed. Then I kissed her, and 
she passed out of the hut to go home. During the afternoon 
service she came to the front in the little chapel, and stood there, 
making public confession of her sin, and pleading with the other 
Christians and missionary to forgive her and to pray for her. 


“O Holy Father, through the merit of Jesus 
Christ, and His finished work on Calvary, come 
to lift these heavy burdens; release these people 
from the captivity of spirit worship, and set 
them gloriously free in the liberty of the Holy 
Spirit. Amen.” 


CHAPTER X 


In the purpose of God stands the triumph of Christ, 
The end is assured for the word has been spoken: 
His promise for yesterday’s viclory sufficed: 
It holds for today, and shall never be broken. 
Forth then in fatth! Be thou faithful to death, 
And expect the fulfilment of all that He saith! 
Though against thee should rise all the powers of hell, 
We hatl Thee world’s Victor—O Immanuel! 


BRAD AR AR AR AR BAR AS AR BS AS ARS AD AS AD 


CHAPTER X 
THE MORAL LIFE OF THE DZOMPERE 


From the two foregoing chapters you may conclude that the 
moral life of these people is very low. It will not do to rashly 
pull aside the curtain and let you see the depth to which these 
people have sunk in their social contacts. It is a delicate sub- 
ject and one must needs tread carefully. On the other hand, we 
must tear away the cloak of false modesty, in order to understand 
how tremendous is the task confronting the Christian missionary; 
and in order to have stimulated within us a deeper desire for the 
salvation of the heathen, as well as a quickened note of praise 
for all the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Among a people like the Dzompere, where there is so much 
nakedness, where shame and modesty are practically unknown, 
where the eyes and ears of tiny children are permitted to see and 
hear such things as we would consider unlawful; where passion 
knows no restraint, it is fitting to apply the words of Scripture: 
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually.”’ 

There are certain diseases which are the direct result of im- 
morality. Such diseases abound in nearly every heathen land. 
In our part of Africa, due to such diseases, a great percentage of 
the women go through life childless. It may or it may not be her 
own fault, but she is always told that she is herself to blame if 
she does not bear her husband a son. Consequently, if a man 
marries, and the woman does not have a child, he sets out to seek 
another wife. Should this second wife have children, she will 
be the “well-favored” one, and upon her he may lavish many 
gifts and most of his attention. Pity the poor woman who is 
slighted, offended and ignored all her life because she is childless! 


[ 101 | 


102 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


In our tribe it is customary for a woman to isolate herself at 
certain set periods. She is not to enter the hut of her husband, 
nor to touch any of the utensils used for cooking or carrying 
water. She is not to prepare or cook any food. At such a time, 
who is to do the cooking? Who is to draw the water? With this 
system of polygamy, a man can have one of his wives on duty 
all the time, and so this difficulty is overcome. 

Because the big chief has nearly a hundred wives, and the 
minor chiefs have anywhere from four to twenty, and several of 
the so-called “big men” have four or six, and a host of men have 
two, it stands to reason that there must be a shortage of women. 
Some men may seek a wife for years and not be able to find one. 
This leads to unspeakable sin. Such unmarried men go about 
enticing the women who are married to polygamists. All too 
many of these married women, because they receive so little 
attention from their own husband, yield readily to temptation 
from without. 

There are different marriage customs. A man of power, such 
as a chief, may force any girl to enter his compound and become 





Two Christian lads with a patient at the dispensary and two 
of his children. The little girl with uplifted hand, is about ten 
years old, and the man’s third wife. See page 103. 


The Moral Life of the Dzompere 103 


his wife. Sometimes a girl is consulted as to whether she is 
willing to marry a certain man. Sometimes she is forced against 
her will to become the virgin-bride of some old man. In such a 
case it is her father or brother who makes the arrangement 
for her. 

Among the Dzompere, there are two common customs. The 
one is to buy a wife. The other is to get a wife by exchange. 
Let me illustrate: 

One day the father of one of our Christian schooiboys sent a 
message to me to send his son home at once. I did so, of course. 
That day the father presented his son (a lad of about_ fifteen) 
with a little girl-wife (a child of about thirteen). The father 
bought this little girl, paying the regular dowry for her. The 
price paid was thirty sheep or goats. The parents of this little 
girl will not be able to ask her back because they will have con- 
sumed some of the dowry, and some of the goats or sheep will 
have died. This is the best marriage custom because a man is 
quite sure of being able to keep his wife. She is his possession. 

That same father also gave to another son a present of a wife. 
But this woman was not bought with a dowry. This woman had 
already been married four times. The father exchanged one of 
his own wives for this one. He was getting old, and wanted to see 
his sons well provided for. But this marriage by exchange leads 
to no end of trouble and difficulty. Later on, the wife was taken 
and exchanged again for a smaller girl, and this little girl cried 
so much that she had to be taken back to her parents. Soon this 
son was left without a wife at all. The system of exchange leads 
to gross immorality. 

A heathen man from a neighboring village came to our dis- 
pensary. He was on our compound for a time. He had two 
wives and a few children with him. There was also a shy little 
girl of about ten years old. I asked him: “Is this nice girl your 
daughter?” With a broad smile he answered, “That is my wife 
also.” He had a quarrel with his former third wife because she 
fell in love with another man. He took the matter to the native 
court, and it was decided that the third wife remain with the 
man whom she loved, but that this man pay the price—a little 


104 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


eirl—to the offended husband. So here beside him stood the 
little girl of ten—his wife. 

A prominent path goes by our compound. It is what one 
might call “the highway,” as it passes through several tribes and 
leads to the trading center—seventy-five miles from our station. 
Several men come along this path to go to Takum, where they 
find food and rest in a large native market. The Christians tell 
me that ten years ago no woman would dare to walk this path 
alone from Lupwe to Takum, four miles distance. They would 
surely be approached by the men traveling on this path, and 
there would be no way of escape. 

Two miles from us is a large hill with fifteen hundred people. 
There are thousands of palm trees. At a certain season these 
trees are tapped, and palm wine is extracted. This wine is 
very sweet and ferments easily. After twenty-four hours it is 
like whisky or gin. Many women come from Takum, pass by 
our compound to go to this hill for palm wine. They take it 
back to Takum and sell it in the market there. How much do 
they pay for this wine? The evangelist working in our district 
told me that no man who cares for his wife will permit her to 
be a “‘wine-hauler,” because the palm wine is bought from the 
hill men for the price of sin. 

I have told you only a very little bit. You can understand 
how these conditions drag a people down. And you may know 
what a terrible struggle it is for the converts, considering the 
caownward pull of heredity and tribal customs. The gospel of 
Jesus Christ is the only power that will enable them to rise to 
any standard of purity. The wonderful change wrought in the 
lives of several who have come out of this darkness and im- 
morality into the blessed light of the Savior is the great challenge 
to the missionary to continue and “fight the good fight of faith!’ 


CHAPTER XI 


“The angel of the Lord encampeth 
round about them that fear him, 
and delivereth them.” 


PRARAR RR AR AR AD BB AS A HD RS RE AE ES 


CHAPTER XI 
“IN PERILS IN THE WILDERNESS”’—I 


Of the immense variety of insects in Central Africa, the mos- 
quito is probably the most dreaded by the missionaries. There 
is a great deal of malaria among the natives. Many young 
children go about with distended abdomen, due to enlarged 
spleen, caused by malaria. Though the mortality among the 
people is exceedingly high, it is nevertheless true that they can 
survive a fever that would kill any white person. Malaria being 
so common, most of the mosquitoes become infected. In this 
way they pass on the malaria germ. Fever has caused the death 
of many white people, officials and traders, as well as mission- 
aries. The entire west coast of Africa has been rightly called 
‘the white man’s grave.” For this reason we are obliged to take 
five grains of quinine daily (increasing the dose as soon as symp- 
toms of fever arise); wear leather mosquito boots in the evening 
(these boots come to the knees, thus protecting the ankles and 
lower limbs from the insect bites); and every night of the year 
we sleep under the protection of mosquito net. This net is fastened 
to the top of the bed and tucked in all around the mattress. One 
night I tried to sleep without this net, but, not having a wink of 
sleep by midnight, | was forced to get up, find a net and fasten 
it on the bed. 

Mosquitoes are also believed to carry the germ of yellow 
fever—a tropical disease that has caused the death of not a few 
white people in Africa. 

Of course we have the common house fly. All food must be 
kept covered, and protected against any germ that this fly may 
carry. Leprosy is common, sore eyes and open ulcers abound, 
and the germ of these diseases may be easily carried by a fly. 





Pawie 


108 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


We also have the tsetse fly, which carries the sleeping sick- 
ness germ. Many of the Africans are afflicted with this dread- 
ful disease, that has always meant sure death to them. Of late 
there is a serum used and a few white people have recovered 
from sleeping sickness. Due to this tsetse fly we are not able 
to have cattle in the district where I work, as they easily become 
infected and die off with sleeping sickness. 

There are a great variety Of other small insects, quite harm- 
less but sometimes very annoying. Due to the intense heat of 
the tropics, and the fact that we never have a frost, insects abound 
in great numbers and multiply rapidly. 

Many different kinds of ants are to be seen. The ones that 
pester us the most are the “driver ant” and the “white ant.” The 
driver ant is like a regiment of soldiers, and moves from one 
place to another. Should they choose to pass through your hut, 
you are obliged to vacate until the last of the regiment has gone 
by. One evening I came home and stood drinking a glass of 
water. I stood right in the ant trail, without knowing it, of 
course, and pretty soon I felt myself bitten by these little enemies. 
I hurried to get a lantern and found the floor black with ants. 
My interference had caused a break in their chain, which they 
were now trying to mend. There was no remedy but to leave 
them alone. Truly there were thousands and thousands of them. 
There was one continual stream of ants all night and the whole 
next morning. Having passed through, my place was as clear of 
ants as before they entered. 

The white ant lives on building material. Through the mud 
walls of our hut, they build a tunnel and thus get passage to the 
roof. Once in the roof, they stay there. They thrive on the bam- 
boo poles of which the roof frame is made and also eat the 
grass. They get into the wooden door frame, and very soon you 
will have only an empty shell instead of a heavy piece of lumber. 
One night a missionary and his wife stayed at our place. She 
hung an undergarment on a nail of the door. By morning she 
was not able to wear the garment, it was so thoroughly eaten 
by white ants. On one of our treks through a part of the district, 
I slept in a tumble-down shack, alive with white ants, and during 


“In Perils in the Wilderness’ —I 109 


a single night they nearly ate the bottom out of one of my boxes. 
We keep everything raised from the floor on bricks or tins for 
protection against these white ants. 

Another unwelcome little creature is the centipede. It is a 
caterpillar-like insect, with a shell back, rather flat body, and 
many legs along both sides of its body. They range from three 
to six inches long. I remember my first experience with such 
an intruder. It was in the morning. I was at prayer, and heard 
a crawling noise on the grass mat where I was kneeling. I 
looked, and saw this “funny worm.” I took off my bedroom slip- 
per, and slapped it a few times, and continued my devotions. 
Soon it wiggled again, and I got a piece of paper, took hold of it, 
and walked outside to the other missionary who was just on the 
path. “Here is something for you to dissect,” I said, “seeing you 
are so interested in bugs!” “Drop it quickly, you foolish girl, it 
is a centipede!” he exclaimed, and went on to tell about them and 
their mean sting. At another town, while nursing one of our 
missionaries, I found a centipede on my clothes while I was 
dressing one morning. We have killed quite a few at Lupwe. 

The scorpion is also a much dreaded little fellow. He has 
a Sharp stinger at the end of his tail, and when stinging a person, 
he injects a poison which causes terrific pain. There are differ- 
ent kinds of scorpions, small and large. One sting is mild, caus- 
ing pain for about three to five hours; but another scorpion will 
cause intense agony for three days. We have killed many of 
these at Lupwe, and the natives tell us that the large coarse black 
ones often cause death. 

Lizards are also plentiful. There are many different varieties 
of these. They play tag freely inside and about our huts, and are 
perfectly harmless. 

During the first few months we were at Lupwe we caught not 
less than forty rats in my two huts. Some evenings we would set 
the traps two or three times over before nine o’clock. Now we 
keep a pussy to help us out of this difficulty. There are many 
rats in the bush all about us. They are of the same size as a 
house rat, but with darker skin, and coarser flesh. The natives 
go out to hunt these and consider them a rare delicacy. A vil- 


110 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


lage chief once presented me with a big bush rat, which had just 
been captured that afternoon. I did gather enough courage to 
eat the hind quarter, and must admit that it tasted just as good 
as mutton! 

We now pass on to the most dreaded of all creeping creatures, 
the snake. I have already told you how the bite of a small black 
snake caused the death of a lady missionary just after I entered 
Africa. At that time a missionary said to me, “You are new in 
the country. Let me tell you something. Never step from the 
bed with your bare feet on the floor. First put on your mosquito 
boots. And keep them up from the ground on a chair beside the 
bed. You never know how near a scorpion or snake may be.” 
Now it is true that we do not see these crawling things every 
day in Africa. But it is equally true that they are there, hiding in 
their nests, or lurking about in the bush, and it does pay to 
exercise care. 

[t was some months after I was in Africa before I killed a 
snake. One evening a convert was with me for a personal talk. 
I was living alone in a large school room at the time, and doing 
Janguage study. The boy sat on a grass mat on the floor, and I 
was on a folding chair. Allof a sudden I said, “Stand up, S=—, 
a snake is coming toward you!” I also arose and stood with both 
feet on the snake, which was about fifteen inches long, while 
S—— got a board with which to kill it. I asked him was it a 
poisonous kind, and he said he could not tell. I put it in a 
corner of the big room, placed a board over it, and a weight on 
the board, intending to show it to one of the other missionaries 
the next day. We finished our talk, and S got up to go to his 
hut. I left the door open, so the light of the lanterns would 
shine outside, and he would not need to be afraid. The door 
would not shut easily, and I pressed against it with my shoulder. 
As I did so, a snake fell from the roof on my hand. I shook it 
off to the ground, ran for the board and killed it. It was the 
same size and color as the other, so I concluded they must be 
“twins” and that there might be a nest in the roof. That night 
I tossed for hours, unable to get to sleep. It was my first dealing 
with snakes, and I was so conscious of their lying dead on the 





“In Perils in the Wilderness’—lI ie lal 


floor in yonder corner of the room. I was also fearing lest there 
might be more crawling about. 

Since then I have killed quite a number of snakes, and, while 
I know I shall never enjoy their company, I am not so nervous 
about them as at first. 

One evening we sat outside enjoying a lovely moonlight rest. 
I called out to my co-worker, who was with me, “Stand up 
quickly, a snake is just crawling under your chair.” We called 
for lantern and club but the snake beat us to the bush and gol 
lost in the grass. Another day we were on trek in the bush. We 
were in a hut and had just finished our noon meal. I looked 
about, and three feet away, just beside my campbed was a snake 
over a yard long. As I stirred to get something, he lifted his 
head, turned about and was out of the hut in a flash. We failed 
to get it. 

At Lupwe we have a cup of tea every day at four o’clock, after 
school is out. My co-worker looked up and said, “Why there’s 
a snake in our roof.” We hurried out and by means of a native 
implement there held it against the grass of the roof. It was a 
long, thin, slimy, green-black specimen, such as | had not seen 
before. But the grass being soft, the snake wiggled itself free and 
was soon lost to our sight. We had to return to our tea, and be 
content to know that it was hiding somewhere in our roof. 

Let me finish by telling you of the biggest snake I have ever 
seen in Africa. One Saturday afternoon the school boys and 
workmen went out hunting. There is ample opportunity for this 
sport all about Lupwe station. About a quarter of a mile from the 
mission station, a boy spied a python, lying all coiled up and 
asleep on the sand. Having his spear with him, he hurled it at 
the head of the python, pinning it to the ground. Then he yelled 
for the others to come, and soon there was much rejoicing at 
this great ‘find.’ The python was compelled to lie quietly due 
to the fact that it had swallowed a small antelope just the day 
before. This animal lay intact inside the python, causing the 
body of the python to be much distended at that certain spot. 
Hence the snake was unable to move about until this little 
deer could be digested. The python was all of three yards 


Pie Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


long, and the little deer inside was all of twenty to thirty 
pounds. It seems natural for a snake to slowly take in a 
whole animal, rather than chew it to pieces or swallow it 
bit by bit. I have seen a smaller snake with a whole frog 
inside of it. They seem to have a good deal of elasticity in their 
muscles. Well, our boys carried the python to the mission sta- 
tion. They came in singing for joy, and I went out to see what 
it was all about. There lay the python; there lay the little deer, 
without a broken bone, and with spots of its brown hairy cover- 
ing still showing. This proved that it had only been devoured 
the day before. There were also more than thirty eggs inside 
the python. And what a feast our people did have! Deer, 
python, eggs—every bit was eaten! As they gathered around 
their supper that evening they offered the doxology of praise, to 
thank the Creator for His rich provision! 

And now, dear friend, I hope you have not read this chapter 
before going to bed, lest your sleep be disturbed by exciting 
dreams. The next chapter will be related to this, dealing with 
the bigger animals, and I would advise you to read it in the day 
time if you are not inclined to have your sleep interrupted by 
reading such incidents as these. 


CREA Eas iXaeX iL 


“ihe Lord iss thus keeper 

The Lord shall preserve thy going 
out and thy coming tn from this 
fime forth, and even forevermore.” 


PEAR AR ARRAS A RRS RES BES RE ES RD 


CRAP as 
“IN PERILS IN THE WILDERNESS”—II 


You have heard of Roosevelt and others going to Africa to 
hunt big game. You may have visited the zoo and have seen some 
of these African animals at close range. To see them behind heavy 
bars is indeed fascinating. How intensely interesting it is to visit 
the zoo at feeding time! What large quantities of meat are 
thrown into the cages and ravenously consumed by the wild 
animals! And how daintily a monkey will pick up a banana 
and peel it! 

But away out in the jungles of that great continent there are 
no iron bars to keep the tigers from prowling about. There are 
no keepers to go and feed the lions at set times. And being so 
far removed from the railway, and from a doctor, there are not 
many big game hunters who come our way. I have yet to see or 
hear of the first one. True it is, most of our men missionaries 
keep a rifle and go hunting for a bit of recreation. Many people 
have asked me whether I did not keep a revolver with me all 
the time. For one year I had a rifle, and scurried about the 
neighborhood a few times. After a year’s play at this game, I 
had one single trophy—a monkey! With a shotgun I had brought 
down several birds. But for the last three years I have had no 
ambition along this line, and did not possess a gun of any kind. 

It is my purpose here to tell you only of such animals as are 
found in our own district. 

If we could make ourselves believe that we are closely related 
to the monkey, that they are our honorable ancestors, we should 
never feel lonely in Africa’s big bush. There are thousands of 
monkeys to keep us company. Fact is, however, that when they 
enter the cornfield of our compound, we drive them away as 


[415%] 


116 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


quickly as possible. One day, coming up the path on my bicycle, 
[ counted all of thirteen monkeys—baby ones and full-grown 
parents—jump quickly out of the farm and across the path into 
the wild bush on the other side. Just near us is a hill called 
Beka. As we sit out in the evening we can hear them bark and 
quarrel, great squads of them. There are many caves along this 
mountain, and here they make their home. From the top of the 
mountain down to a stream they have made a path, which is so 
prominent that it can be seen quite a long way off. There are 
several of the large baboons, and the natives are generally afraid 
of these. The monkey is a vegetarian animal, but it has hap- 
pened that they kill a human being. Should one try to steal one 
of their babies, danger would be near. They twist their tail 
tightly about a person’s ankles, thus checking the circulation. 

All about us are herds of deer and antelope. We see these 
quite frequently. They are very timid, and perfectly harmless. 
It is lovely to see a big deer, with great horns on his head, 
standing by the side of the path, or gently walking into the 
compound. 

Until just recently I did not know that we ever had lions in 
the district. It being a hilly country all around, I was told that 
lions would not be found as they chose to live on the plains. 
However, a missionary was going from Lupwe to Takum on a 
Sunday morning for the services which are held there regularly, 
and saw two lions standing in the bush quite near. Just about 
that time two black men were killed by some wild animal about 
six miles from our mission station. 

And it was not until two years ago that I knew we had wild 
buffalo roaming about in our district. It is a great blessing that 
one does not meet all these friends in a single day! I was about 
forty miles from the mission station, on a tour through part of 
the district. At a certain village we had services and stopped 
to sleep. The next morning we were on our way to another vil- 
lage. Traveling on the bicycle, I would keep well ahead of the 
men who were carrying the loads. Being alone, and early in 
the morning, I was singing while riding along. The path was 
narrow, and had many curves. I happened to look up and there, 


“In Perils in the Wilderness’ —lIl 1ily; 


just about twenty yards away, stood some great big animals, 
which I thought were cows. A cattle trader, having a few cows, 
had slept at the same village where we spent the previous night. 
Hence I concluded that these were his cows. I rang the bell 
of the bicycle repeatedly, and they jumped away. Still I rode 
on, entirely ignorant of the fact that I was in real danger. But 
a second time these beasts stood before me, and this time I saw 
them more clearly than before. There was not so much thick 
grass. Then I saw that they were bigger than cows, and their 
great eyes and horns gave me a sudden shock. I pressed and 
pressed the bicycle bell, ringing it furiously, and a second time 
they jumped away. I did not dare to go on. Nor had I the cour- 
age to turn around and retrace my steps. I was afraid that they 
might run in a circle and meet me a third time. I shook with 
fear, and prayed that the Lord would soon send someone along 
the path. It was not long before my personal boy and the native 
evangelist came to where I stood. I told them what had hap- 
pened, and from the tracks of the beasts they knew at once that 
it was a herd of wild buffalo. Then they told me that on several 
occasions before buffalo had been seen in that region. They told 
me how, if angry, the buffalo would throw a person in the air 
with his great horns. I did not again get on the wheel that 
morning, but walked along with the folk who were accompanying 
me on this trek. 

There are two rivers in our district. One is called the 
Gamana, and the other, the larger, is called the Katsina Allah 
River. It is believed that nearly all the rivers in Central Africa 
contain crocodiles. Being in a canoe one is protected against 
these. But it happens sometime that a person bathing in the 
river will have a leg or hand snapped off by this reptile. For 
this reason the white people never bathe or swim in the rivers. 

In the Katsina Allah River two missionaries came to meet a 
very tragic death. They belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church 
of South Africa, which works among the large Munchi tribe, 
adjoining the Dzompere. Two of their single men missionaries, out 
on their first term of service, were crossing the river in a native 
canoe. When well into the river, a large hippopotamus ap- 


118 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


proached their canoe. One of the men fired a shot from his rifle, 
which failed to strike the hippo in a fatal spot. Instead, it likely 
angered him, and he swam up close to the canoe, put his big 
square mouth underneath and turned the canoe upside down. The 
natives who were in the canoe swam to shore quickly. The 
missionaries were at a disadvantage, as they had on heavy shoes, 
and a cartridge belt loaded with shot. They did not get to shore. 
In the twinkling of an eye they reached yonder Golden Shore 
that borders the City Four-Square. Other missionaries were 
sent for and watched the banks of the river; the government 
officials were notified and they placed men on guard. After a 
few days four pieces of human body were found. The hippo, 
with his great mouth, had severed each body clean in half, and 
here were the four parts of the two bodies of these missionaries. 
They were so badly mangled that it could not be seen which was 
which. But a coffin was made to contain the remains, and a 























African buffalo. See page 116. 


“In Perils in the Wilderness’ —lIlI 119 


funeral was held, and for the first time the missionaries of the 
Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, working among the 
Munchi in the great Sudan, stood around the open graves of two 
of their fellow workers. 

The field is so great, the workers so few; we cannot under- 
stand why they must be taken away in their first term of service. 
We bow in submission and Say, 


“OQ Will, that willest good alone, 
Lead Thou the way, Thou guidest best.” 


Several of the Dzompere people have been killed by leopards. 
The many hills and mountains about us contain a goodly number 
of caves where the leopards may dwell and safely protect their 
young. By day they sleep and rarely leave their place of hiding. 
By night they come forth and prowl about in search of food. 
Many a deer is sleeping in the open under the canopy of heaven. 
And the leopards go out in search of these tame animals. They 
will also enter the compounds in search of dogs, sheep or goats. 
Our boys once found a large deer, weighing well over a hundred 
pounds, lying dead in the grass near our place. The leopard had 
killed it, but failed to drag it away. 

Many an evening we hear the howl of the leopard in our 
neighborhood. Having heard the long piercing groan of a lion, 
the “laughing” of the hyena, and the broken howl! of the leopard, 
we are able to know at once which animal it is that is prowling 
about. But very often they enter the compound by night and we 
never hear them. They go about from hut to hut, stealthily, in 
quiet search of something to eat, leaving behind their footprints 
to tell us of their night time visits. 

‘Why do you not build a heavy wall about the compound?” 
a kind friend asked me one day. This would be the only remedy 
to keep out such wild animals. But while we would thus lock 
ourselves in, we would shut out the people who come to us for 
medical treatment, for a little trading, for a friendly greeting. 
We are so glad to have them come in, but they would be afraid 
to enter if we put up a high wall. So it is a case of “taking the 
bitter with the sweet.” 


120 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


One night I slept in the school hut. There were no doors, 
so I fastened grass mats to the openings, as a kind of protection, 
These mats were short and only reached to within about twenty 
inches from the ground. I had just gone to bed, when I heard 
a scratching outside the door on the path. At once I surmised 
that it might be a leopard. I lay very quietly, though fear caused 
me to breathe quickly and heavily. Again I asked the Lord to 
undertake and protect me. ~The scratching ceased, and I fell 
asleep. In the morning we saw the paw marks of the leopard all 
about the doorway. 

Last year we had a very large leopard come into our com- 
pound several nights in succession. He never made a sound, but 
each morning we saw the fresh paw marks. 

One morning, before six o’clock, one of the boys came to 
me and said, “‘White lady, did you see these marks outside 
your veranda?” I went to look, and there were several monstrous 
paw marks. The leopard had been right upon my veranda, just 
near the bedroom window. All night the shutters were wide 
open, and the window is low so as to let in plenty of air. There 
was no screen or glass. Very easily the beast could have stepped 
inside. As it Jumped down from the veranda, it pulled along 
three heavy stones. The wall is made of stones mudded together 
(as you will see from the picture of my house). What caused 
this beast to turn away and Jump down from the veranda, rather 
than enter my hut? The guardian angel of the Lord may have 
sent it away. The Bible assures us that there are ministering 
angels sent from the realms above to protect the children of God. 

May the Lord increase our faith to believe that our Jehovah 
never changeth! He sealed the mouth of the lions to protect 
Daniel; He stood beside the three men in the fiery furnace, and 
we may believe that He still stands beside His missionary servants 
in the far-away, isolated and dangerous places of “‘earth’s harvest 
fields so wide.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


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BREVARD AAD AD AN AD AN A AANA AN AN AO 


CHAPTER XIII 
THE TASK OF A PIONEER MISSIONARY 


In February, 1922, I left Lupwe to come home on furlough, 
after having been in Africa two years. Our terms of service are 
short, due to the fact that the Benue valley is considered one 
of the most deadly places in the world for white people. 
Isolation, tornado storms, insects and wild beasts, fever and over- 
work all help to cause the nervous system to suffer continual 
Sinai: 

Shortly after I left, Rev. and Mrs. Whitman had to come home 
for furlough, and there were no missionaries to be sent to Lupwe. 
The station, so newly opened, was left for nine months without 
a resident missionary. 

On February 1, 1923, I returned for my second term of serv- 
ice. The Whitmans were not able to go back to the field, due 
to ill health. Neither did the mission have another ordained 
man to put in charge of this Takum district. It was decided 
that two women would be stationed at Lupwe to take up and 
continue the work there. 

For the first three months I was alone, and then Miss Haigh 
returned from furlough in England and joined me at Lupwe. 

What was our task? To bring the gospel to fifteen thousand 
people scattered over an area of eighty miles from north to south. 

Just what does that involve? It meant that we would be 
obliged to do intensive and extensive mission work. By intensive 
work, we mean all that is done within the confines of our mission 
compound. By extensive mission work is meant all that we do 
for the spread of the gospel outside the limit of our compound, 
and as far as the border line of our district. 

There is so much intensive work that one has continually to 


[ 123 ] 


124 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


guard against that temptation that comes to the missionary to 
stick in one place—home, and neglect the miles of territory about 
him. On the station we have our own home which includes the 
regular household routine. We also have a dispensary where 
patients come each morning to receive medical help. A station 
school is conducted for the people residing on the compound. 
New huts have to be erected; leaking grass roofs have to be torn 
down and new ones put on. “A compound comprising five acres 
of ground has to be kept in good order and ready for inspection 
whenever an official comes to visit the district. Besides this are 
reports, accounts, and mail. From day to day palavers arise. 
Some can be settled in a few minutes; others take hours, and the 
big ones often consume days of a missionary’s time. By palaver 
we mean matters of discipline. 

The extensive work, however, is so very important that one 
cannot afford to neglect it. Four miles from Lupwe is Takum. 











A leopard in the wilderness. See page 119. 


The Task of a Pioneer Missionary 5 


the largest town of our district. Here we have an out-station. 
We have a chapel where regular services are held each Sunday. 
Every Thursday morning a prayer meeting is called at eight 
o’clock. At Takum we have a small group of Christians, who at 
present form the nucleus of our little flock. These Christians must 
be taught to read and write, so we must give them school; they 
must have catechism instruction, in order that they may receive 
the sacrament of baptism in due time; many hours must be 
spent in personal work. These Christians are babes in Christ; 
they frequently stumble, and sometimes they fall deep into gross 
sin. Then the missionary has to probe, rebuke, admonish, and 
convincingly urge these who have offended God’s law to repent 
and make public confession. Such matters of discipline demand 
hours of time, endless patience, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, 
and an inexhaustible supply of love. 


Though Takum is the largest town in the district, it is never- 
theless only one place. There are very many more towns, hills 
and villages where we must visit and tell the people the ever- 
lasting gospel of the Eternal God. Several of these places can be 
reached in a day. That is, the missionary can go in the morning, 
and return home in the evening. But by far the majority of 
people can be reached only a few times a year when the mission- 
ary is touring through the district. In the remote places of the 
district they may hear only once a year. 


Out of the three hundred and sixty-five days of last year, I 
spent more than two hundred away from the compound, in 
extensive mission work. 

The pioneer missionary is, of course, expected to continue 
his language study. 

The work might be accomplished with greater speed if we 
had a trained force of native teachers and evangelists. That is 
exactly the lack in pioneer work. We must wait until some 
converts are won, and then call from among them a given num- 
ber who seem to be spiritually keen and intellectually bright, 
and train them to become leaders. And this in itself is a 
tremendous task, the training of Christian teachers and evan- 


126 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


eelists, that could easily absorb the total effort of two mission- 
aries. 

Surely it is unwise ever to come before a class unprepared. 
I feel it is a great wrong to go and conduct a Bible class, cate- 
chism, or prayer meeting, without having a preparatory period 
of study. I dare not go to morning chapel worship and read the 
the Holy Scriptures unless I have first read over the portion in 
my own room. 

And can we effectually talk to others about God unless we have 
first spoken to the Lord about them? Must we not have a daily 
period of Bible study, prayer and meditation? Is the missionary 
not grieved when the converts fall into flagrant sin? And in 
such cases, will he not feel the urge to special periods of inter- 
cession—possibly with fasting? 

You will not judge it a light task that confronts the foreign 
missionary who is called upon to do pioneer service. 

And for this task, as I have tried to outline it in this chapter, 
we two women workers were responsible. I am more than willing 
to admit that we failed to accomplish all our task. 


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Sat evheww 








Hippopotamus. See page 117. 


CHAPTER XIV 


.“He was not willing that any should perish;” 
Jesus enthroned in the glory above, 

Saw our poor fallen world, pitted our sorrows, 
Poured out His life for us, wonderful love! 

Perishing! Perishing! thronging our pathway, 
Hearts break with burdens too heavy to bear, 

Jesus would save, but there’s no one to tell them, 
No one to lift them from sin and despair. 


“He was not willing that any should perish;” 
Cloth’d in our flesh with its sorrow and pain, 
Came He to seek the lost, comfort the mourner, 
Heal the heart-broken by sorrow and shame. 
Perishing! Perishing! harvest is passing, 
Reapers are few, and the night draweth near; 
Jesus ts calling thee, haste to the reaping, 
Thou shalt have souls, precious souls, for thy hire. 


Plenty for pleasure, but little for Jesus; 
Time for the world with its troubles and toys; 
No time for Jesus’ work, feeding the hungry, 
Lifting lost souls to eternity’s joys. 
Perishing! Perishing! hark how they call us: 
Bring us your Savior, oh tell us of Him! 
We are so weary, so heavily laden, 
And with long weeping our eyes have grown dim. 


“Te was not willing that any should perish;” 
Am I his follower, and can I live 
Longer at ease with a soul going downward, 
Lost for the lack of the help I might give? 
Perishing! Perishing! Thou wast not willing; 
Master, forgive, and inspire us anew; 
Banish our worldiness, help us to ever 
Live with eternity’s values in view. 


BOAR ARAN AN ANAS AOR A A AN AN BAS AS 


CHAPTER. XIV 
THE DISPENSARY WORK AT LUPWE 


Foreign missionary effort is generally divided into the fol- 

lowing four classes: 
Evangelistic work 
Educational work 
Medical work 
Industrial work 

The evangelistic is by all means most important. Educational, 
medical and industrial have their value only in so far as they 
are built upon a strong evangelistic foundation. They are only 
means to an end; they are giant helps to strengthen the evan- 
gelistic work. 

Now it is quite impossible for any one missionary to be quali- 
fied for all these separate branches of service. It is, however, 
exceedingly important that not one of these branches be wholly 
neglected, and so the pioneer missionary, whether or not quali- 
fied to perform a given work, must earnestly endeavor to be “all 
things to all men.” 

The ideal way to do mission work is to have a complete staff: 
(a) A fully qualified ordained minister, who will supervise and 
have charge of all the evangelistic work; (b) a teacher who will 
have complete charge of all the educational work (the training of 
such a one should be very thorough and complete as the task of 
the educational worker is to train native teachers and supervise 
the village schools where these native teachers will eventually be 
placed); (ec) a doctor who will devote all his time to “care of 
the sick and the dying”; (d) a builder and agriculturist who will 
put up and keep in repair all the buildings belonging to the mis- 
sion, and who will train the people to improve their living and 


Pil 2 9e] 


130 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


farming conditions. Such a missionary would be an industrial 
worker. 

How many mission stations are there on the foreign field with 
such a complete staff? Comparatively few. Especially in Africa. 
Numerous tribes, spread over large areas, and only few laborers, 
causes each station to continually struggle along under the burden 
of an incomplete staff. This accounts for the fact that we were 
only two women workers for the past three years at Lupwe 
station. : 

Facing the need, knowing assuredly that it was a gigantic task, 
we prayed daily for strength and courage, asking the Lord to 
work for us and with us. 

In this chapter I want to acquaint you with the work of the 
dispensary at Lupwe. In the next chapter we will proceed to the 
educational and industrial work, and then step over to the most 
important, the evangelistic work. 


* * * * * * * * 


Both my co-worker and myself had the privilege of receiving 
a little medical training before going to the field. While we could 
not boast of an M.D. after our name, nor would we undertake to 
amputate a limb, or perform an appendicitis operation, there 
were many sick people that we were able to help. 

Infected eyes are very common in places where hygiene and 
sanitation are unknown. Many of our people also suffer from 
tropical ulcers. More than half the patients who come to our 
dispensary are either eye cases or ulcers. And what a blessing it 
is that we are able to care for them and after a time dismiss 
them—healed! It is touching to see the little children with eyes 
full of pus, unable to open them to the light because of the pain, 
being carried to our compound. And most of them scream with 
fright if they see the ‘“‘strange white lady.” We gently wash 
those eyes and put in the medicine. And then we have the joy of 
seeing them clear up and get perfectly well. The mother smiles 
and expresses her gratitude, and often brings to us a little present 
of peanuts or palm oil. Near the compound of this mother is a 
boy who has a big ulcer on his leg. He sits about all day long 


The Dispensary Work at Lupwe 131 


looking very unhappy. He covers the ulcer with a green leaf 
from the tree so that the flies do not torment him too much. So 
the mother who came with her baby tells this boy about the 
“white lady” and the medicine, and invites him to come along 
with her the next morning. Slowly, with the aid of a stick, the 
boy walks into our compound and takes his place along with the 
other patients. Upon their first visit we are careful not to use 
medicine that will be too painful. We must seek to gain their 
confidence rather than frighten them away. After a few days’ 
treatment, an expression of hope is seen on the little boy’s face. 
Pretty soon he can throw his stick into the bush, as it is no longer 
needed. And after a few weeks he is healed. I often wonder who 
is most happy, the boy or the missionary? 

So they come—men, women and children. Some days only a 
few will come. Then again, we have had as many as thirty on a 
single day. 

Alas, some come with diseases that we are not able to treat. 
Leprosy is to be found in practically every village of this district. 
There are cases of sleeping sickness. Some come with large 
tumors, and sometimes the blind come to see if we have medicine 
to restore their sight. The nearest doctor (a government official) 
is seventy-five miles from us. Rarely can we persuade anyone to 
go that distance and seek his help. They are timid and dare not 
set out to go to some place where they have never been before. 

Some patients come to us from many miles away. It is not 
possible for them to make daily visits to the dispensary, and so 
we must make provision for them to stay on the compound. We 
must keep them quite separate from the other folk, the school 
boys and our personal helpers. So at one end of our compound 
we built six huts. One of these we use as the dispensary; and 
the others are used for resident patients. We make it a rule not 
to take such patients unless some one of their family will come 
with them to care for them, providing them with food, drinking 
water and firewood. 

Last July I was alone on the station for two weeks. The school- 
boys were having a month’s vacation and had gone to their 
several homes. My co-worker was at Wukari for a short change 


132 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


i | 
+X 


and vacation. I walked down to the dispensary to take care of 
the patients. I looked into the first hut to greet a patient who had 
been there for about two weeks. I got no response, but the other 
patients sitting about began to laugh. The light being so bright 
outside I could not see the man in the hut. I went a bit closer 
and the man lay dead on the floor. The ants were crawling all 
over his thin body. I took a skin and covered his body. Then I 
sent a boy off to the relatives to ask them to come at once. He 
did have a wife, but that night they had left him alone. The sons 
came to take the body and bury it. I felt obliged to tell them 
what a terrible thing it was that they had left their father alone 
to die—no one to give him a drink of water or to make a fire 
for him. 


Let me tell you of the first patient who died on our compound. 
I did mean to pass on and not tell you this. But, on second 
thought, why should you not know by reading the sadder part of 
life that a missionary must know by seeing and handling? 


It was our first year at Lupwe. I was doing all the dispensary 
work at that time. One afternoon a man came to see me. After 
the customary greeting, he asked me whether he could bring his 
wife to our compound for medical treatment. 


“Where do you live?” I asked. 

“At Lumbu,” he said. That is a hill some six to eight miles 
from us. 

“What is the trouble with your wife?” 

“She has a very big sore here,” pointing to the upper part of 
his leg. 

“How long has she had this sore?” 

“While she has had that sore, we have harvested our fields 
four times.” (That meant the sore was four years old.) 

“Have you never tried to do anything for it?” 

“All that I have is gone. I have given it all to the spirits and 
begged them to help my wife. Instead of helping, her sore gets 
bigger and deeper.” 

“Will your wife be able to come here, so I can see her?” 

“My friends will help me to bring her.” 


The Dispensary Work at Lupwe 133 


“Very well then. You may bring her, and we will see whether 
we can do anything for her. When will you come with her?” 

“After we sleep twice I will bring her.” (Day after tomorrow, 
as we would say.) 

He kept to his word. On that appointed day, toward noon, a 
little black woman was brought into our compound. Part of the 
way they had carried her. And then she would try to hobble 
with the help of a strong stick. By the time she reached our 
place, she was tired and had a good bit of pain. I greeted her, 
but then let her rest a while. At first she was shy and shook with 
fear. She had never seen a white person before, and I could tell 
she was much afraid of me. Before the first week was over, her 
fear had flown, the horrible ulcer began to look clean, the pain 
was lessening, and the little lady began to talk to me. One day 
she said, “I had one baby, then it died. I never again had an- 
other baby. And I got this sickness. I guess the spirits are angry 
with me.” We told her of the Lord Jesus, and encouraged her to 
ask Him to help her. She listened eagerly to the gospel messages. 
The ulcer was getting better and she was so happy. Then one 
week end I had to go to Takum. When I left the patient had a 
cold, and I gave her medicine for this. I went away on Saturday 
afternoon. Tuesday, after sunset, I came back to Lupwe. Just 
after supper, one of the boys came running to me, “Hurry, hurry, 
white lady, the littlhe woman is dying!” Taking a lantern, I 
rushed to the huts in the rear of the compound, and found the 
patient about ready to breathe for a last time. Her husband was 
there. In his way he was trying to prolong life. He took the 
brass bracelet from her arm and put it between her teeth to open 
her mouth. He shook her head to make her eyes move. He spoke 
to her. He lifted one arm and then another, in a vain endeavor 
to keep her alive. But I saw that all this was useless. Her lips 
were sealed for good. She would speak no more. I tried, in a 
tender way, to tell the husband she was dying, and that his effort 
would not help her. After she was gone, I gave him a message 
and we there had prayer—the bereaved husband kneeling with 
the few Christians who were with me, and myself. Then I got 
a grass mat and laid this over the corpse of my friend. We 


134 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


secured the doorway against the intrusion of a leopard or other 
animal, and went to rest. I concluded that the patient contracted 
pneumonia and that this was the cause of her death. That very 
day she had been seen gathering a little wood for a fire. No 
doubt a high fever gave her chills. And it was the rainy season. 

I went to my hut, but the pitiful sight of the death of this 
patient followed me. A few sticks from the bush, laid across 
one another, was her bed. Being thus raised a bit from the clay 
floor, she would be protected from the damp. The sum total 
of all her clothing was one bunch of wilted leaves. She had no 
blanket. Thinking this all over, I sobbed until nearly midnight. 
We were not to blame, as nobody knew that she was so very sick. 
What a great deal of misery and suffering there is in this world, 
and especially where Christ is not known! 

The next morning I went back to the hut and found the hus- 
band sitting beside the body of his wife, crying and shaking his 
head. One of our native Christians helped me to lift the corpse 
and wrap it for burial. Rev. Whitman was seeing to the digging 
of the grave. Let me whisper to you, kind friend, that only the 
enabling grace of our compassionate High Priest can help the 
missionary to bear the strain of these duties. 

That was our first funeral at Lupwe. 

We asked the husband to stay with us for a time. To work 
as a laborer on the place and receive instruction in the things 
of the Lord. We knew that the people on his hill would say that 
we had killed his wife; or they would decide that her coming to 
us made the spirits angry and they refused to help her. I freely 
told him this, and he stayed with us for three months, and is still 
very friendly, coming often to greet me. I long that he may come 
to the knowledge of the Savior! 


* * * * * * * * 


As I told you before it was my privilege to have a year of 
special maternity training in one of our big New York hospitals 
before going to Africa. I have found this training to be of great 
value, as it has permitted me to help all of our Christian women 
when giving birth to their children. There is no doctor in the 


The Dispensary Work at Lupwe k3o 


district. So many women have died in childbirth, or from com- 
plications that arise, due to their ignorance, carelessness and filth. 
And at such a time a woman gets no sympathy whatever. One 
Sunday afternoon I was called to a village two miles away to see 
if I could help one of the wives of the chief. I found her sitting 
on a stone inside the hut. (It is the usual thing for a woman to 
sit on a stone at such a time.) She was without a covering on 
her body. A little fire in the middle of the hut filled the place 
with smoke. Two or three other women were in the hut, and 
they were very harsh to the patient. They slapped her, and 
pushed her, and spoke sharply to her, but she responded very 
little. She was thoroughly exhausted and a trifle unconscious. 
She had been in labor six days. I went to the chief and told him 
that she would surely die, that he had waited too long to call me. 
The next morning I returned and was able to deliver the child, 
which had been dead for some time. The patient was quite 
unconscious, and I was certain there was not a ray of hope for 
her. I returned home, and at noon a messenger came to tell me 
that she had died. 


But I have been able to help several other women. All the 
abnormalities and complications that arise at such a time are 
considered to be the patient’s fault. By some sin that she has 
committed, or because she has not brought sufficient sacrifice to 
the spirits; they are angry and refuse to help her. That is why 
she gets no sympathy, but only harsh treatment. The blind 
reason.ng of the heathen is: “You are only suffering for your 
own sin, therefore suffer!” 


How glad the Christians are to have help at such a time. They 
are so appreciative, for well do they know the difference. And 
what a privilege for the missionary to be able to show sympathy, 
to speak a tender word, to minister lovingly in the name of the 
Great Physician, in an hour of great need! 

To prove this let me quote from a letter I received from one 
of the leading Christians in our little flock. Both he and his 
wife are baptized Christians. About two weeks after I helped her 
with the birth of their third child, I received the following: 


136 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 





“This litthe writing comes from the hand of , and 
his wife , and goes to our Baturiya. Greetings 
and love that knows no bounds we are sending you. 
Baturiya, even up to this time we have not made to 
you the proper thanksgiving for the help which you 
have given to us, and we said that it is right for us 
to do so now. We thank you very much, very much, 
and very much, until there is no end of thanks- 
giving. We also thank our Father, Whom we serve, 
for He is our great Helper. Also, all the help which 
you have given us, we know that it is for the sake of 
the Lord. Baturiya, see here is 5s ($1.25) from us 
to you. If you will agree, please accept it—not for 
anything, only because of all your help to us. Again 
we thank you very much and very much. May the 
fellowship of our Lord Jesus continue to abide 
among us. Amen.” 





I have literally translated this from the Hausa language. I 
called the writer, and told him that I could not accept the money 
($1.25 represented a whole week’s wages) but that we would put 
it in the Lord’s treasury as a thanksgiving offering to Him from 
Whom all blessings flow. 


*% * * * * * * * 


Now we have visited our dispensary work. Do you think it 
is worth while? In ministering to the body, we have a glorious 
opportunity to bring a gospel message. So the medical work is 
a means to emphasize the evangelistic, which is most important. 


(EL PAM EIDE DSAY: 


“Teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you. 


9 


BOOED ADR ADA AR AR AR AAD FAD A AD AD RD 


CHAPTER XV 
THE BOARDING SCHOOL AT LUPWE 


In pioneer work, as I have explained before, it is not wise 
to gather up so much work on the mission compound (intensive 
effort) that makes it impossible for the missionary to go about in 
the district. On the other hand, it is self-evident that we cannot 
get on very far in missionary work without a school. Just as 
soon as a school is established the missionary is bound by a strict 
routine. Bells have to be rung on time, classes organized, work 
corrected, and many more things, too numerous to mention, must 
be carried on with due regularity. 

At Lupwe, shortly after I returned from my first furlough, I 
felt led to establish a boarding school. By boarding school we 
mean that the pupils, attending such a school, would live on the 
mission compound. The missionary would be responsible to see 
that the pupils had huts to sleep in; food to eat; covering for their 
body, etc. In other words the missionary would have sole charge 
—hbe the guardian of these pupils. Just why did we start such a 
school, involving so much work and responsibility? For two 
reasons: 

First—There were some fine young men at Takum who were 
prepared to make public confession of faith in Jesus Christ. They 
were ready to say farewell to the spirit worship, the religion of 
their ancestors, and eager to receive training in the Christian 
religion. They were not able to read or write. Though we might 
gladly encourage them to publicly confess Christ, we could not 
think of giving them the sacrament of baptism. It is a rule in 
our mission that at least two years must elapse from the time a 
candidate makes his first public confession to the time he re- 
ceives baptism. This is a very necessary rule which we heartily 


[ 189 ] 


140 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


endorse. During that time the candidate must receive instruc- 
tion. He must learn to read the Word of the Lord; cover the first 
catechism which contains one hundred questions and answers; 
be able to memorize the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, 
and the Apostles’ Creed; become familiar with the early history 
of Genesis; and know the important facts of the life of Christ. 
Besides this he must have instruction in practical Christianity. 
Remember that he is a convert from dark paganism. He does not 
know when to pray, how to pray or why to pray. He does not 
know the meaning of the Lord’s day and how it is to be used. 
Indeed, all that God requires of us in His Word must be ex- 
plained to these converts. Now if the convert is married it is not 
wise to ask him to come to the boarding school. He must abide 
at home, let his light shine and endeavor to win the other mem- 
bers of his household to Christ. It may take much longer than 
two years before he can receive the sacrament of baptism, as he 





Boarding school pupils, in their Sunday clothes, entertaining a 
government inspector with a drill. See page 139. 


The Boarding School at Lupwe 141 


will not have so much time for study. But if the convert be 
unmarried, we ask him to come for one year to the school at 
Lupwe. It is amazing how much such a one can learn in a year. 
To them it means sacrifice, as they receive no financial remu- 
neration, and are obliged to do a good share of outside work. 
They also have to buy their own books—New Testament, hymn 
book and catechism. They may be wanting to get a dowry, but 
this too must be set aside for a year. Several expressed their 
desire to have such a year of training and this was the first 
reason for our establishing a boarding school on the mission 
compound. 


Second—As I toured the district, remembering that, certain 
villages could be reached only once or twice in a whole year, I 
asked myself this question: “When will these people be able to 
intelligently accept the message of salvation they have never 
heard before?” They can take in only a little bit of the truth dur- 
ing One visit a year, and they forget so soon. Then the thought 
came to me that if we could gather some of the boys from different 
villages, bring them to a boarding school on the mission com- 
pound, pray that they might be converted, surely God would call 
from among them some who would become teachers and evangel- 
ists. They could then return to their home town and village and 
lead their people to a knowledge of the Savior. Here then is 
our second reason for establishing such a school. 


With this end in view—helping converts that they might 
receive instruction that would fit them for baptism, and training 
a certain number of youths in the hope that some of them would 
become teachers and evangelists to their own people—we prayer- 
fully started this boarding school. 


Our total enrollment for the two and a half years that we 
had this school on the station would number between forty and 
fifty. Some came for one year and then went back to their work. 
Others could stay only six months. We never kept more than 
twenty-five at a time. We could have had a larger enrollment, 
but our time and strength demanded that we keep the number 
limited to twenty-five. 


142 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


For a good part of last year we had seven young men who had 
publicly confessed Christ, and it was a great joy to me to conduct 
a special Bible class for them. I also gave them catechism in- 
struction outside of school hours. They came to us without ever 
having seen the alphabet; they left with a New Testament which 
they were able to read. When they first came, they sat with 
closed lips during the singing of the hymns; when they left they 
possessed a hymn book and could find the place as the number 
of the hymn would be announced. The mental training, plus the 
regular life, proper food and sufficient exercise even changed 
their physical form and facial expression. 

What about the other youths? Were we successful in getting 
the parents’ consent for them to go away from home and 
attend school? Yes, here too the Lord answered prayer. The 
chief of the town of K——,, fifty miles away from our mission 
station gave me two fine boys. When he saw how well they 
looked after six months, and how happy they were to be at 
school, he brought me his little son of four, and said, ‘““Here, white 
lady, I give you this my boy for a present. He is yours. Take 
him with you.” I said that he was too small to leave his mother, 
and I also explained to him that I was not wanting children for 
presents, or as slaves, but only to have for a time to teach them 
about the Lord Jesus. During a subsequent visit to this town, 
the chief again approached me about this little boy: ‘Is my boy big 
enough now to come to school?” he asked me. I said he would 
have to wait at least four years. We would rather not take the 
boys until they are ten years old. In this whole town of K—— 
there was no one who had ever possessed a book of any kind. 
And one day the New Testament entered that town, carried by 
the two lads that had been in our school. And what is more, 
they were able to read it. The chief asked them to open the book 
and read to him, and they were able to do this. They also ex- 
plained to the chief how they learned to pray, and soon they were 
kneeling and offering prayer, at the request of the chief who 
wanted to hear his boys pray. Were they sent away from the 
mission with this New Testament as a gift? No. We never give 
away any portion of the Word of the Lord as presents. The 


The Boarding School at Lupwe 143 


elder of the two boys came to me one day, expressed his desire 
to own a New Testament, and asked me if I could give him any 
work to do in his own time to earn the money. The price of a 
New Testament is two shillings (50 cents). I gladly gave him 
work. He went to the bush and cut grass for the roofs of our 
huts. Then he wove this grass (i.e., tying little bunches together 
until it looks like a long piece of fringe) and on other days he 
would draw water. What a happy boy he was when I called him, 
and said that he had fifty cents saved, and he could have his 
Testament. I put a paper cover over the binding to keep it 
clean, and wrote his name inside, and the name of his town. 
When vacation time came, he gladly carried along this little extra 
weight to show to his people. Again I ask you the question: 
“Who do you think was most happy, the boy or the missionaries?” 

I could tell you a like story of other boys who have been per- 
mitted to come to us from different parts of the district. 

Quite naturally the question arises in your mind, “Do you not 
have any girls in the school?” Considering the condition of the 
land you will agree with me that we cannot have co-education. 
That is, we cannot have girls and boys of the same age in one 
school. Nor can we get girls for our school. They are promised 
for marriage while very young, and after that time they are care- 
fully guarded. We have not thought it wise to try and convince 
the people (I refer to the heathen) that it is quite right for them 
to send their daughters to school as well as their sons. Besides 
this, we are keen for the boys because they are to be the future 
leaders. Our Christian parents, however, want their daughters to 
be taught how to read and write and they ask me to take them 
into the boarding school. I have consented to take them only at 
a certain age. They may come when about eight years old, and 
stay until they are eleven. This is a long enough period for them 
to get a good start in reading and writing and to have a little 
arithmetic and sewing. So last year we had three such little girls 
in our school by special request of a Christian parent. We also 
had two married girls, wives of two of our Christians who were 
working at Lupwe, and to these special instruction was given. 
It would not be practicable to put them in the regular classes. 


144 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


In our district of eighty miles there was no other school, so 
we never had to think about competition. We could make our 
rules and curriculum as we thought best. We decided to give 
the children a good bit of outdoor work, especially farming. 
We would expect them to draw all the water necessary for cook- 
ing, drinking and washing, as well as gather the firewood. As 
much as possible the older boys would help with any building 
of new huts in the dry season. This would be a great help in 
keeping down expense, and it would keep the pupils occupied. 
They are not able to concentrate many hours a day on brain 
work. The first period each morning would be devoted to the Bible 
(three mornings to Bible history, and two periods to memory 
work). For the rest of the time they would have the following 
subjects: reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing, singing, sewing, 
handwork, drilling and games. 

You may be interested to know our daily program. 

5:30 A.M. Rising bell 


6:00 Morning worship in the chapel (except Sunday) 
6:30 to 8:45 Outside work 

9:00 Breakfast 

9:20 First school bell 

9:30 Roll call and opening exercises 
11:00 a.mM.to2 p.m. Noon rest and dinner (Due to the heat, 


we have a long noon rest.) 
2:00 to 3:30 Afternoon school 
3:30 to 5:00 Outside work 
2:00 to 6:30 Recreation 
6:30 Evening meal 
8:30 Bedtime 

Catechism classes are held from 4:30 to 5:30 P.M. 

From the station of Wukari we obtained a Christian who had 
received a year of special training as pupil teacher. He was a 
very great help to us, and was able to carry on with the work 
whenever the missionary could not be there. His wife also is 
a fine Christian, and they have three children of their own. It 
meant a great deal to have this Christian family on our com- 
pound. They had the respect of all the pupils, and their Christian 


The Boarding School at Lupwe 145 


conduct as well as their home life was exemplary in every way. 
I do sincerely praise God for giving us this help. The name of 
this teacher is Filibbus (Philip), and the name of his wife is 
Astira (Esther). These Bible names were given them when they 
received the sacrament of baptism. 

There is always one great danger connected with a boarding 
school. The pupils love school, they soon sense that there is a 
vast difference between the atmosphere of the Christian com- 
pound and their native village. They get regular meals at school, 
while at their native village they often have to be content with 
only beer. Especially is this true when they have days of spirit 
worship and dancing, as is their custom at set times during the 
year. The pupils feel the touch of fair discipline and loving per- 
sonal interest, which are unknown in a heathen village. Some 
of them are not at all happy to go home at vacation time. Last 
July, one little fellow had to be pushed along the path to get 
started on his homeward journey. They do not object to the 
walk. Barefooted they walk anywhere from four to fifty miles 
from the mission station to their village. And at the end of vaca- 
tion, they gladly walk the same distance to return to school. Dare 
we permit them to foster a growing dislike for their own village? 





Compound of the boarding school pupils. The little boy in the 
front is the son of the Christian helper Filibbus. See page 145. 


146 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Shall we silently listen to them criticizing the food prepared by the 
hands of their own mother? Will we ever tolerate hearing them 
laugh at the ignorance of their father or older brothers? No. 
And again we say No. Or do you think that this is not a serious 
matter? Then I would inform you that it is a problem which 
requires very careful thought. Is it not a terrible thing here at 
home, after a father makes great sacrifice to give a son or a 
daughter an education, that.the child is ashamed of the parent? 
Education was never meant to bear such sinful fruit as pride, 
boastfulness, self-exaltation. We have not as yet decided abso- 
lutely on a remedy for this danger, but I have come to one or 
two decisions. Let me explain to you: 

Due to lack of staff our boarding school had to be discon- 
tinued when my co-worker and I left for furlough early in the 
year. We also felt it would be good for the children to be home 
a year. Then, when again starting the school, we could some- 
what change our methods. This was to us a new experience. It 
was a great undertaking to start and continue a school of this 
kind. We have made mistakes, but we wish to correct our mis- 
takes if we again start the school. 

From the beginning we have taken no child without the con- 
sent of the parents or guardian. There has been ample time now 
for these parents and guardians to see the value of education for 
their boys. They are also unquestionably convinced of the fact 
that their boys delight to attend school. They do not have to be 
driven from home to come to school. They very gladly exchange 
the village fireside with that of the mission compound. 

Now we intend to ask the parents to pay a little toward the 
training of their children. They cannot give us money. They 
never have a plentiful supply of ready cash. But when they 
harvest their cornfield, we shall ask them to send a certain num- 
ber of bundles of corn to school to help feed their children. In 
this way both the father and son will be benefited. The father 
will come to value the training his son is receiving. The son in 
later years will never be able to say to the father that he received 
his education from the mission. He will ever have to face the fact 
that his father helped to give him a training. This should lead 


The Boarding School at Lupwe 147 


to a sense of gratitude and appreciation on the part of the son 
toward his father. 

Besides this, I would think it very advisable to have two long 
vacations each year. One vacation should be in the dry season, 
the other in the wet season. If these boys could be home with 
their parents for a whole month in the dry season, they could 
help do the building work. In every village new huts and new 
roofs are erected each dry season. I do not mean that the old 
ones are all torn down or discarded. Some are torn down, but 
with the increase of wives and children, and with some of the 
sons getting married, there is always a need for more huts. Dur- 
ing the wet season the farm work is done, and the boy could then 
help on the farm. In this way the boy could spend two months 
of each year helping his father, and eating the food prepared 
by his mother. He would constantly keep in contact with his 
village. 

Let me be honest enough to say that this would also help the 
missionary. It is a tremendous strain to be responsible for a 
large family. One evening I counted not less than eight inter- 
ruptions in a single hour. I was busy writing on the type- 
writer. A boy came to the door, “Excuse me, Baturiya, last night 
I tore my sleeping blanket; please may I have a needle and thread 
to sew it?’ I go and get what he needs, and return to my work. 
Pretty soon, ‘‘Excuse me, Baturiya, please may I buy a copybook 
to do some writing?’ I take his two pennies, get him a little 
book, and go back to my work. For a few minutes I tap away 
hard at the keys, and I hear someone crying on the veranda 
outside the door. I get up, and there stands a sorry-looking little 
fellow. ‘“Baturiya, I was playing and stumbled. My big toe hit 
a hard stone.” Yes, the toe was bleeding. “Too bad, come along 
and we will find medicine and bandage in the dispensary.” I 
wash the toe, and put on a white rag, assuring him that it will 
soon be better. He smiles through his tears, and says, ‘‘Thank 
you.” And again I go back to my typewriter. I add a couple 
of paragraphs to the letter, and another little chap appears, 
xc USCMI Cam DALUDLYa.gine V.eCStewvlOmis there? en ibis .G—— =" 
“You may come in.” He seats himself on the mat and begins to 


148 Pioneering for Christ tn the Sudan 


sreet me. After a little pause, I ask him whether he has come 
for anything. “I just came to say greetings to you.’ But soon he 
has courage to ask the favor he intended to ask. ‘Please, 
Baturiya, we are asking whether you will agree to let us come 
here a little while after supper, and if you will agree to give us 
a book to look at?” I pause a minute to think what I intended 
to do that evening. “If you come right after supper, you may stay 
for about half an hour.” It is a great treat to them to come and 
look at a book or some pictures or play with the checkers in the 
evening by the light of a lantern. With a broad smile and “Thank 
you” he hastens away. And I continue my typewriting. Before 
I had finished there were still more interruptions. 

Now I do not mean to say that every hour of the day is like 
that. Nevertheless the interruptions seem to be continuous on the 
mission field, and particularly so where there is a_ boarding 
school. So I do not hesitate to say that it is a great relief to the 
missionary to have the children go home for a vacation, so that 
he or she may have a change in work. 

Probably you will object to our sending the pupils back to 
their heathen villages. You say that their surroundings in a 
heathen village are conducive to everything except Christian 
development. That is true. But, do not thousands of boys and 
girls have to live in these surroundings every day of the year? 
Must our pupils not learn the value of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
and its power to help them to overcome temptation? Must they 
never be tested to see how much of that power they possess? In 
future years, the Lord willing, we expect them to live as teachers 
and evangelists in these surroundings; if we shield them today 
will they be very strong tomorrow? 

Again, may we not expect them to go into the darkness of 
their home village and lift up the torch of the gospel message? 

Blessed be our Lord, and blessed be His wonderful grace! 
Many of our pupils have returned to their villages and stood up to 
tell forth the wonderful story of redemption. They have carried 
their New Testament into the village. They have sung the hymns, 
and taught them to their littke heathen brothers. They have 
bowed their knees in prayer to the True and Only God. The 


The Boarding School at Lupwe 149 


Bible tells us, “And a little child shall lead them,” and I verily 
believe that some of these pupils will be used of God to lead 
others to the knowledge of the Savior. 

Several of the parents have visited the mission station, to see 
their sons, to bring me a little present, and to establish a bond of 
friendship between us. Then we tell these parents how eager 
we are that they shall come to know the Lord. 

Before closing this chapter I would like to explain about the 
money used to carry on this work. Thus far all the money has 
come from voluntary gifts. We have never asked the mission board 
for an appropriation for this work. Most of the gifts have come 
from Sunday Schools of the Christian Reformed Church. We are 
indeed grateful to our Lord that He has supplied all our need. 

Some people ask whether they can have the name of a boy 
and become responsible for his support. And it may seem 
strange when I tell you that I feel obliged to refuse such a 
request. Let me tell you why: 

In the first place it would increase the burden for the mis- 
sionary. Already we are overburdened with work on the field. 
Our correspondence is always neglected. Such a supporter ex- 
pects to receive reports, letters, a photo, etc., of the pupil. The 
missionary would have to do this correspondence. Should the 
pupil be dull, or naughty, the missionary may not want to write 
that fact to the supporter. But, on the other hand, the mission- 
ary may feel duty bound to tell all the truth, and the supporter 
would be apt to misunderstand the whole situation. Dissatisfac- 
tion may arise that would grieve the missionary. 

Then too, the supporter may want to write a letter direct 
to the pupil. The missionary would have to translate this. The 
pupil would go about with his head lifted high saying to the 
others, “I got a letter from my guardian over in the white lady’s 
country!” The other children would be jealous and feel very 
hurt. 

At Christmas time a supporter would want to send a present 
to his pupil. The missionary might not see fit to give this present. 
Someone sent me a football for a young boy, and another person 
sent me a vanity case for one of the girls. These children never 


150 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


so much as heard about the presents. It is all right for the whole 
school to have a football, but not for one boy alone to own such 
a big plaything. One dear woman (not in America) knit several 
pairs of woolen stockings for the black boys and girls. These 
were useless as our people go barefooted all their life. You see 
how there would necessarily be partiality. One boy would get 
a pencilbox and another a book, a third some handkerchiefs 
and a fourth a cap. ; 

Do they not get a present at Christmas? Yes, but we treat 
them all alike. The smaller boys a present not to exceed twenty- 
five cents, and the older group a gift that does not exceed thirty- 
five cents. 

The very smallest gift is appreciated by them. One day a 
boy came into chapel with a safety pin fastened in his curly 
black hair. That safety pin was quite a big present to this boy. 

In this land of plenty and luxury we have so much. It is 
hard for us to understand how the people in Central Africa live 
without playthings and luxuries. And we must ever be careful 
not to spoil them, and it is positively wrong to bribe them with 
material gifts. We must seek to have them value the gospel 
above any material thing. 

So I think it is better for the people at home to contribute to 
the school as a whole, and to pray for all the pupils instead of 
for just one individual pupil. 

We are certain the Lord has blessed this work of the Lupwe 
school. It has been a great joy to us. We look forward to its 
further development, praying that God will establish His Word 
in the heart and life of every pupil. 


GEA PETG 


“Lord, speak to me, that I may speak 
In living echoes of Thy tone; 

As Thou hast sought, so let me seek 
Thy erring children lost and alone. 


“Oh, lead me Lord, that I may lead 


The wandering and the wavering feet; 
Oh, feed me Lord, that I may feed 


Thy hungering ones with manna sweet. 


“Oh, teach me Lord, that I may teach 
The precious things Thou dost impart, 
And wing my words, that they may reach 
The hidden depths of many a heart. 


“Oh, give Thine own sweet rest to me, 


That I may speak with soothing power 
A word in season, as from Thee, 


To weary ones in needful hour. 


“Oh, fill me with Thy fullness, Lord, 
Until my very heart o’erflow 

In kindling thought, and glowing word, 
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show. 


“Oh, use me, Lord, use even me, 


Just as Thou wilt, and how, and where; 
Until Thy blessed face I see, 


Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.” 


FRANCES R. HAVERGAL 


BERRA BR RB RS RS AB RR ES RS ER RE RES RE REN 


CHAPTER XVI 
EVANGELISTIC WORK 


Down through the ages, from the very dawn of time, God has 
called, prepared, and sent forth messengers to proclaim His good 
tidings. The farewell message of our Lord Jesus included the 
Great Commission to declare in all the world His finished work 
of redemption. 

How do you picture the service of an evangelistic missionary? 
What is your idea of the messenger who is called to be a “pioneer 
worker for Christ?” Have you a picture in your mind of the 
missionary standing comfortably under a shady paim tree—Bible 
in hand—with a large group of heathen about him who are eager- 
ly drinking in the Truth? When you have finished reading this 
chapter I hope that picture will have vanished, and that a truer 
picture will have been set up in its place. 

As I have said before the evangelistic work is the foundation 
of all other missionary effort. It is the most important part of 
our work. I do not feel in any way capable of setting before you 
just all that it involves. You will continually bear in mind that 
we are dealing with pioneer work among a very primitive people. 

Here then is a district at least eighty miles from the northern 
to the southern boundary line. In all that territory there is no 
European trading store, no resident government official, no 
school, no hospital, no doctor, but there are thousands of Africans 
sorely in need of help. 

We were the first white missionaries to be stationed here, and 
were expected to evangelize this entire district. We were in- 
trusted with that sacred task of bringing to these people—living 
in unspeakable darkness and ignorance—the good tidings of Him 
who said, “I am the Light of the world.” 


[ 153 ] 


154 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Our first duty would be to go about in the district as much as 
possible visiting the people, and telling them the message of 
salvation. The people live rather scattered, and the country is 
very hilly, making it necessary for us to go on “trek” often if we 
are to reach them at all. 

You will recognize the word “trek” as a pure Dutch word. 
It is very commonly used among the missionaries in Africa, no 
doubt originating with the Boers in South Africa. To go on 
“trek” means to go camping or touring through the district. 

About four months of the year—part of the rainy season—it 
is quite impossible to go trekking through the district (especially 
for a woman). The paths are very muddy; many of the bridges 
are washed away (native-made bridges); one may have to wade 
through long deep swampy places; the rivers are full—so full 
sometimes and with such a swift current that the natives are not 
willing to take one across in a canoe; and very often the mis- 





Two Christian natives going through the bush on a preaching 
tour. The hill in the background is Lissan. See page 153. 


Evangelistic Work Loo 


sionary gets a poor tumble-down shack to sleep in. Should one 
get a drenching by night with a heavy rain that has trickled 
through a thin grass roof, there would be danger of fever or 
dysentery. But all these difficulties a missionary may try to over- 
come by carrying a tent along, and other means. There is one 
outstanding difficulty. The ground is damp and cold. The 
people for the greater part are without clothes. They refuse to 
come to a gospel service and sit about shivering with the cold. 
A tiny hut, with a goodly number of folks to keep each other 
company, a fire with plenty of smoke, one common friendly pipe 
to be passed from the lips of one to another—that is happiness 
for the native during many days of the rainy season. 


Then we choose the dry season to do this work of trekking. 
If there are any huts to be built, or new roofs to be put on, this 
must be done during the dry season. Such work requires close 
supervision. The missionary cannot be in two places at once. 
He is often forced to spend a part of the dry season at home, 
getting the building work accomplished, even though he would 
rather be giving all that time to tour the district. But he will 
always devote a good share of the dry season to direct evangelistic 
work in the district. 


Having made several such treks, I would like to take you along 
to see some of the places in our district. 

We first decide how long a trek we are going to make. That 
is, how many days we propose to be away. Sometimes I go for 
five days and nights, sometimes for ten or fifteen days. The 
longest trek I ever made was twenty-three days. 


Having decided how long we intend to be away, we proceed 
to get the loads ready. Campbed and bedding, chair, folding 
table, lanterns and kerosene, cooking utensils and dishes, clothes, 
a few books and writing material, some native food and a box 
of tinned food (evaporated milk, coffee, tea, sugar, cereal, rice, 
etc., etc.) all have to be taken along. It may amount to from 
five to ten leads. For each load we must find a man who will be 
willing to accompany us on the trek. These men we call 
“carriers.” 


156 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


These arrangements completed, we start off. Each carrier 
will tie his own sleeping mat on his load, lift the load (which 
weighs fifty or sixty pounds) to his head, and “catch the road,” 
as we say in Hausa. I always take along a trustworthy baptized 
married Christian to act as guide, spokesman, and adviser, as 
well as to assist in the preaching. Then there will be a personal 
boy, whose work it is to pack and unpack the loads, build the 
fire in the open, and do such simple cooking as one requires on 
trek. So our company may number ten: seven carriers; a Chris- 
tian to help with the preaching; a personal boy and myself. I 
patiently wait until I have seen the last of them “catch the road” 
and then I mount the bicycle and start off. 


It is to me a new path. It is the first time I am trekking this 
part of the district. Our first stop will be nine miles from 
Takum. The day before I sent word to the chief of the village 
and he is expecting us. Should I get ahead of the others I wait 
along the way until the Christian helper and personal boy 
come along. Having no loads to carry they are able to walk 
fast. It is not native etiquette for me to go into a town or village 
unescorted, and it would be very foolish for me to enter a place 
alone upon a first visit. We turn to the path that leads to the 
village. The chief seeing us come, immediately makes haste to 
meet us with a greeting of welcome, and leads us to the place 
where we are to camp for the night. 

Then we greet each other rather profusely. 

He begins by saying “welcome! welcome! welcome!” several 
times in succession. 

I respond by repeatedly saying, “Thank you! thank you!” 

“Have you come well?” he asks two or three times over. 

“IT have come well!” I answer each time. 

“And is your tiredness well?” 

“My tiredness is with ease.” 

“Have you left all the people at your compound well?” 

“They are well, thank you.” 

Then I begin to respond to his greeting, by asking him several 
questions, as to his health, his household, his work, ete. 


Evangelistic Work 137 


I tell him the purpose of our visit, and ask him whether he 
is willing to gather his people to hear the message of God. We 
agree on a definite time that he suggests. Some prefer a meeting 
before sundown, others prefer it after their evening meal if it 
is warm and a moonlight evening. 

Before he leaves I ask him whether he will kindly send a man 
to the village where we intend to sleep the next day, so that the 
chief there may be informed of our coming. In doing Christian 
work it is well to be considerate, and I have found that it is not 
good policy ever to enter a village unannounced. 

After these preliminary greetings, the chief asks to be excused, 
and says, “I will send you firewood and water at once, and a 
little later I will call the people together.” I thank him, and 
he leaves. 

Pretty soon the carriers come along, one after another, glad 
to be relieved of their load. Generally the chief sends a pot of 
gruel for them to drink. (At first they often brought us native 
beer, which we felt constrained to refuse after explaining our 
reason.) 

The boy gets busy setting up the camp furniture, and to make a 
little fire. We missionaries drink a great deal of tea in Africa. 
Fresh hot tea, not too strong, seems to quench thirst more than 
anything else. Consequently, after every journey, the first order 
on the program is “a kettle of boiling water to make a pot of tea.” 

You may ask what kind of a place they give the missionary 
to sleep in. Sometimes it is a very good hut, a little bit away 
from the village. Then again it is a hut in the compound of the 
chief, where you will have plenty of visitors—women and chil- 
dren, but also goats, sheep and fowls. It has often been nothing 
more than a roof set up on eight or ten poles that were planted 
in the ground. This is very hot, gives one no privacy whatever, 
and is a good invitation to any animals that may prowl around 
by night. I shall not soon forget one sleeping hut that was spe- 
cially built for me when the people heard of my coming. They 
had never seen a white woman before. No doubt they were 
frightened. Right in the bush, a long way from the village, 
they had hastily erected a cute little grass shack. I would have 


158 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


had to crawl in, and there was not space enough for a campbed. 
The Christian helper said, “You will not sleep here in the bush, 
Baturiya; I have a friend in this place, and will go and see if 
he will give you one of his huts.” This he did, and I slept in 
the village. I should not doubt if some of the people did not sleep 
that night, for fear of my “spirit.” To meet this uncertainty about 
a suitable place to sleep, I have decided to take a strong tent with 
me the next time I return to the field, the Lord willing. 


After we all have a little rest, at the set time we go to the 
chief’s compound, where the people will be gathered. Generally 
there is a large space, cleared and swept, where the people can 
sit on the ground around their chief whenever he has a palaver 
with them. 


We greet the chief and the people, explain the purpose of our 
gathering, and then endeavor to make plain to them the way of 
salvation. Where and how shall we begin? “For God so loved 
the world . . .” But they do not know who God is. Try 
this: “All have sinned, and .. .” They do not know what sin 
is and where it came from. I once pleaded with an old chief 
who was dying, “Repent and believe!” He said, “Repent of 
what? I have never done any wrong. I never stole another 
man’s wife, and I never killed anyone with the ‘poison cup.’ 
There is nothing for which I need repent.” So this man had lived 
years, and was about to die, with the false notion that there were 
only two sins which it is possible for anyone to commit. How 
would it be to say, “Do you see this Book (holding before them 
the Scriptures)? This Book tells us a wonderful story ie 
That would be far too abstract. What does a book mean to a 
group of heathen who are seeing it for the first time. What a 
privilege it is to bring the gospel! Yes, indeed, but what wis- 
dom is required to know how to present that gospel! 

It is necessary, first of all, that we present the message in a 
very simple manner, in order that all may understand and follow 
our words. Then, so that it may be fastened upon their mind, we 
must repeat and repeat the same thing over, asking questions 
as well. 


Evangelistic Work 159 


I have found it well to teach them that God is a Great Personal 
Being who sees us, but we cannot see Him; the giving, sustaining, 
and taking away of our lives is in His hand; man plants the corn, 
God gives the sunshine and rain so that man may be permitted 
to harvest. To enlarge upon these great truths, I point to their 
fields and explain the matter carefully. Then I point to a baby 
in the arms of a mother and say that God has granted that little 
life; the parents do not know how long they will hold that child in 
their arms, but God knows. Then I tell them that God made two 
people, and that we all come from those first parents. “My skin 
is different from yours, but my blood is just the same as yours.” 
I say to them, and at once I have a strong hold upon their atten- 
tion. Then I tell them how God put before Adam and Eve two 
roads—the path of obedience and the path of disobedience; and 
all that would result if they chose the path of disobedience. Then 
I tell them that Adam listened to the voice of the Devil and today 
we have sickness, hunger, weariness, sorrow and death, all over 
the world as a result of sin. Then I proceed to acquaint them 
with Christ—Who came to save us from our sin. 

Upon a subsequent visit I will question them carefully to see 
what they remember. Very often they will remember the names 
of Adam and Eve, and remember the name of Jesus and that He 
is the Son of God. 

On rare occasions I have seen people weep as they were hear- 
ing for the first time the story of the death of our Lord. They 
very often gasp with wonder and clap their hands in gratitude to 
God for His gifts as I explain them one by one. And they make 
expressions of pity and sympathy as I tell of how they nailed the 
Righteous One to the cruel cross. In this way the missionary is 
often interrupted during the message, but such Sao rs are 
to be welcomed and never silenced. 

It is very unwise to present to the people a one-sided truth. 
I mean to tell them only of a God of love. They are constantly 
in bondage of fear because of the spirits, and a God of love does 
not make a strong appeal. They are far more attracted to such 
truths as the power and greatness of God, the absolute justice of 
Jehovah and His wrath toward sin. The story of the flood— 


160 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


God punishing the sinner—makes a tremendous appeal to these 
primitive peoples. 

After our meeting, we bid the people good-bye, and when we 
leave the village we ask them to bring us a “return visit” if 
possible. 

The next morning at dawn we have all the loads packed and 
after a word of prayer together, we start off for our next village. 

It would be nice to stop two or three days in each place, but 
this is not possible. I have often wished to stop in one of the 
larger towns for a month, holding daily meetings, visiting every 
compound, and also going to all the nearby villages with repeated 
visits, but due to the fact that we have such a small staff it is 
not possible to be away from the station for too long a time. 
Being only two women, it means that we are both alone; while one 
is trekking through the district, the other is alone “keeping the 
homefires burning,” the compound school and dispensary. 





Pa’ana, ““The Daughter of Prayer.”’ (First woman baptized in 
the Takum district.) See page 179. 


Evangelistic Work 161 


At last, after about eight days, we come to the far-off bound- 
ary of our district. We are fifty miles away from home. Here 
is a broad river to cross. The same river in which the two 
missionaries were killed by the hippopotamus. The town is on 
the other side of the river. I sit down under a shady tree to 
wait for some of my company to come along and step with me 
in the canoe. I dare not enter this town alone, as it is my first 
visit. It is getting toward noon, and the sun is so hot. I hear 
voices, and soon see the smiling faces of the Christian helper and 
my personal boy. One of them runs. down to the edge of the 
water and calls over for the people to come with the canoe— 
“the white lady is waiting here.” 

After about twenty minutes the canoe arrives. Two men and 
a small boy form the crew of the canoe. The two men do the 
paddling, using short home-made paddles that splash their way 
through the water. The little boy sits dipping the water out of 
the canoe. It has a leak in the bottom, and the boy keeps on dip- 
ping the water out just as fast as it oozes in. I am asked to step 
in and find my place. I generally kneel on the flat bottom of the 
boat and hold onto the sides with my hands. This is most com- 
fortable and if there is water, one does not get too wet. Then 
my wheel is brought in and laid across the sides of the canoe. 
Then the two others of my party step in. A good push sets us 
off. It is a heavy load for a tiny boat, and the sides are down in 
the water up to an inch from the top. This is by no means a 
joy-ride. I sit quietly and pray all the way over, and am so 
thankful when we step out on the other side. At some places 
they have large heavy canoes, dug out of monstrous trees, but in 
these little bush towns one generally finds a rickety little ferry. 

As we step out on the other side, the drums begin to beat, and 
a great crowd of people are standing to greet the first white lady 
who ever entered their village. Their chief is there in ‘‘full dress” 
together with the big men of his town. They escort me to the 
place where we are to camp. And then we go through the long 
greeting palaver. They see that I am very tired and hot, as it is 
between twelve and one o’clock noon, and bid me good-bye after 
we have arranged about a meeting in the evening. 


162 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


“Welcome, welcome,” I call out to the first carrier who 
arrives. He has the chair on his load, and so I can sit down. He 
has the box with the tea, and so I can soon have a hot drink. 

They have to wait their turn to be ferried across the river, 
and so it is a long time before the last one arrives. And they are 
so hot and tired and thirsty. 

Before the kettle boils, I hear some screaming and rough noise. 
Putting on my helmet I rush out to see that about four of my 
party are having a first-rate fight. All self-control gone, they are 
kicking, punching, scratching one another while pouring forth 
loud speech to show their bitter anger. Soon the others would 
begin to take sides, and we would have “war in the camp.” I 
took one of the fighters by the back of the neck and pushed him 
into my own hut. With a second I did likewise, and then com- 
manded the other two to follow. I bade them sit on the floor, 
each one apart from the other, and not to open their mouth until 
I gave them permission to speak. At such a time one must be 
master of the situation, fearlessly proving to possess the superior 
position. I sat quietly—trembling within, I admit—until the tea 
was brought, and then took my time to drink it. Meanwhile i 
was asking the Lord for strength and guidance and for victory 
over this attack of the enemy. I knew the enemy was on our 
trail. He will not silently look on while we enter his territory 
and seek to release men and women from his bondage. I have 
experienced several battles with this greatest of all foes—the 
Devil. 

For a whole hour the four fighters sat silent. This gave them 
ample time to cool down a little. One was wounded in the neck, 
and blood was showing on his black skin. 

In a quiet firm tone of voice I started to speak to them, 
explaining the purpose of our coming to this village, and of how 
they had yielded to the attacks of the enemy who was always 
ready to frustrate our efforts. I asked them whether they were 
willing to confess to one another and forgive. I told them that 
unless they promised me to continue our stay here, and finish 
the trek without another such display, I would have the loads 
packed and we would leave that town at once. I said to them 


Evangelistic Work 16: 


very earnestly, “One of you four is a Christian. All this anger and 
battle has arisen over a single ear of corn. We have come here 
to tell the people of Jesus and His peace, but you have exemplified 
hatred and permitted the Devil to glory in his victory over you. 
Now choose whether you wish to continue your fight or forgive 
and settle down to good behavior.” I addressed the Christian 
limstpand said, | Tell” me; IN , what is your choice?” He 





looked ashamed and said he was sorry to have given in to the 
enemy, and was very ready to ask the others to forgive him. 
Two of the others were also ready to take this same stand. The 
fourth one was stubborn, and not so ready to decide. The vic- 
tory being so near, I said to him, ‘‘Three are willing to forgive, 
if you are not ready to do the same, you may take your sleeping 
mat and leave the town to return home. I refuse to have you 
accompany me further unless you promise to behave yourself.” 
He decided to stay with us. They each acknowledged their 
wrong, said they were sorry, and promised not to let such a thing 
happen again. I then told them that unless God worked repent- 
ance in us we could not be truly sorry; unless we asked His help 
our promises were useless; and that we needed to seek His for- 
giveness. We had prayer together, and I excused them. They 
kept their promise and behaved well the rest of the trek. 

Toward sundown the chief sent a plentiful supply of food for 
all my party, and they spread out their mats on the ground, 
seating themselves around the dishes of cornmeal porridge and 
gravy. Their leader (the Christian helper—who had no part in 
the fight) said grace; and first put his hand in the dish. They 
eat with their fingers, but only one dips at a time. They take a 
little lump of porridge, roll it between their fingers, and dip it 
into the other dish of gravy or soup. No one will put forth his 
hand for a second dip until each one has had a first turn. When 
one is satisfied he will say, “I have finished,” and draws back, 
while the others continue to eat. The married men generally eat 
in one group, while the single ones form a second little circle, 
and younger boys have their portion all to themselves in a sepa- 
‘ate company. 


164 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


After this we went to the chief’s place, and had our meeting. 
Somewhere around one hundred and thirty men sat before me 
on the ground. I asked the chief whether he would not call the 
women, as the message was also for them. He said, “After we 
hear it, we will tell our women.” So we went on with our serv- 
ice, and had a wonderful response. A few women dared to 
peep around the corner of the grass matting that fences off one 
compound from another, but-none dared to walk anywhere near 
the group of men. The next day I remained in this village to rest 
and have another meeting. I sent to the chief to ask whether I 
might take a stroll through the village and see his town. He sent 
word back: “The white lady is tired. She has come a long way. 
It is better for her to rest.” It was a verbal message, and I said 
to the helper who brought the word: ‘Must I understand that he 
does not want me to see his town?” He truthfully replied: “You 
must have much patience with our people, they are afraid be- 
cause you are new to them. They think if you walk around you 
may anger the spirits. But they will learn after a while.” I 
contented myself to stay away from the people during the entire 
visit, except while we had the meetings. The huts where we 
camped were a little way off from the village, and after each 
meeting the chief would accompany me to our camping place. 
He was friendly, kind and much interested. 

Today in that village are the two boys whom I mentioned 
before. They have with them a New Testament and a hymn book. 
They are able to read and sing. The chief has promised me his 
son of about five years old. And upon my last two visits to this 
town the women were present at the meetings. What a marked 
advance! They formed a large group on one side of me, while 
the men gathered and seated themselves on the other side. They 
answered correctly many questions as I reviewed a little of our 
message. They asked me several questions also. They asked me 
to come and stay with them in their village, to conduct school, 
and keep on teaching them. I long for the day when one of these 
two boys, receiving training at our boarding school, may be 
stationed as teacher-evangelist in this village! Pray that it 
may be so! 


Evangelistic Work 165 


You will agree with me that it is worthwhile to do this kind 
of evangelistic work. The hardships of crossing bridgeless 
streams, crawling over a swinging hammock bridge that shakes 
with every move one makes, or creeping on all fours over a single 
tree-log that is placed over a stream as a bridge substitute, or 
crossing the rivers in a little dugout, are soon forgotten when the 
joy that knows no measure floods one’s soul; the joy of seeing 
definite results, which will eventually lead to a realization of our 
prime purpose—Jesus crowned as Savior and Lord in the hearts 
of these people. . 

Let me be fair enough to tell you that sometimes we have a 
very discouraging time. I took one trek through the hills, walk- 
ing from place to place for nine days. The bicycle is of little 
use among the mountains. It was the beginning of the rainy 
season. We planned to stay over Sunday at a certain village, 
but it proved that we were not welcome. They did not want to 
provide food for the carriers and the others who were with me. 
So they suffered a good deal of hunger. Rain hindered the 
people coming to meetings. I sat at a hut door, with an umbrella 
to keep me dry, while the people were huddled together inside 
the hut about a fire. On Sunday afternoon a heavy thunderstorm 
arose. The rain came down in torrents. The hut where I camped 
was a grass-walled one, and the rain came rushing in until the 
whole place was flooded. I sat on a chair with my feet on a big 
stone, while campbed, table, boxes, etc., were surrounded with 
the water. For three hours the thunderbolts crashed about us 
while the lightning lighted up all the bush around. We could 
have no meeting. After the water soaked in, I had a little supper 
and went to bed. Early the next morning we started off for a 
long walk to another hill. Here we found but few people home. 
They had gone to their farms, which were several miles away 
from the hill. The chief was at home, but he was sick. We 
stopped here one night, and decided to go home. How glad we 
were to see our Lupwe compound. I greeted my co-worker with 
“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” The texts 
on the wall of our hut spoke a message of hope and encourage- 
ment to my soul. 


166 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


After working for a time, we find that there are those who 
are ready to stand up and make a public confession of their desire 
to follow Jesus Christ. They promise to separate themselves from 
all forms of spirit worship; from all dances connected with such 
worship; from the use of idols and charms; from all food that 
has been sacrificed to the spirits or to the dead. They promise 
to abstain from any drink that has power to make a person drunk. 
They declare their faith in Jesus as a personal Savior, as the only 
Savior, and that all other religions are false. They agree to sub- 
mit themselves, if necessary, to discipline, and to put forth every 
effort to learn such things as are necessary for their growth and 
prosperity in the Christian life. 

They are as yet unable to read the Word, and it is not right 
to administer the sacrament of baptism immediately upon a first 
profession of faith in Christ. In chapter XV, I explained what 
is required of the converts. As soon as a person takes a public 
stand for Christ he becomes what we call an inquirer. He is 
called a ‘“‘follower of the Lord”; is under instruction and subject 
to discipline. After some time has elapsed and the inquirer 
proves to be diligent, faithful, and desirous to go forward in his 
Christian life, he is placed under definite instruction preparatory 
to receiving the sacrament of baptism. We might call this the 
second stage, and he is now called a catechumen. He remains a 
‘atechumen until such time as he receives holy baptism. 

Of course it is the duty of the missionary to provide the 
necessary instruction for the converts. And so we build a chapel 
where they can be gathered to receive the help they need. Having 
a chapel (which may also be used as a school building in the 
beginning of a work), we decide to have regular services and 
classes. We built two such chapels, one at Lupwe, and the other 
at Takum, four miles away from Lupwe. We provided the fol- 
lowing services for the converts: 

Daily morning worship at 6 a.m. (except Sunday) at 
Lupwe 

Sunday morning worship at Lupwe and Takum 

Sunday school (afternoon) at Lupwe and Takum 

Prayer meeting (Thursday morning) at Takum 

Catechism classes at Lupwe and Takum 


Evangelistic Work 167 


You will notice that I have not mentioned the regular day 
school, because that belongs more specifically to the educational 
work, and has been dealt with in the preceding chapter. 

The missionaries alone can be responsible to decide who of 
the catechumens shall be first to receive baptism when there are 
as yet no church members. After baptizing three or four, these 
baptized members are always consulted before any others receive 
the sacrament. Thus far we have baptized seven converts. Three 
others, who have received the sacrament at some other mission 
station, have come to make their home in Takum, and are thus 
united to our flock. So we have ten who are eligible to partake 
of the second sacrament—the Lord’s Supper. We try to have 
communion twice a year. It is necessary to get an ordained 
minister from one of our other stations to come to us for the 
week-end and perform such special services as baptism and com- 
munion. 

There are at least twenty more who belong to the Christian 
flock, but who are as yet in the catechumen and inquirer groups. 

What about the little children born to the believers? Do they 
receive baptism? No, not as yet. For two reasons. First, we 
have not had opportunity to teach the converts the doctrine of 
the Covenant in such a way that they would understand the sig- 
nificance of infant baptism. In part this is due to the fact that we 
do not have the entire Old Testament translated into the Hausa 
language. A second reason is tribal custom. It often happens 
that the parents do not own their children, they are the property 
of the mother-in-law. All about us is the offensive practice that 
parents do not bring up their own family. A child of four is 
exchanged with another child belonging to some relative or 
friend. It is believed that a child will be spoiled if brought up 
by its own parents. It often happens that one parent is converted 
while the other continues in heathendom. Say a father is con- 
verted. His wife is a heathen. They have a child. The wife 
may take that child and give it to her heathen relatives to bring 
up. The father could not go to the native chief and claim control 
of his child. This is a native custom which we abhor, but which, 
at the present time, we stand helpless to overthrow. However, 
we do not wish to have the children of Christian parents grow 


168 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


up without any recognition in the church. Hence, for the present 
we have dedication of infants. The parents thereby declare their 
gratitude to God for the gift of a child, and promise to bring up 
their own children (not exchange them with the children of un- 
Christian relatives) in the fear and admonition of the Lord. 
(In case only one parent is a Christian, he is asked to promise 
that he will do all in his power to keep the child home, and to 
teach it the way of the Lord:) The child is given a name, and 
reckoned with the flock of the believers. In a separate chapter 
we will tell a little more about the children. 

So after five years of evangelistic work in this particular 
district, the missionary has the joy of meeting a little flock of 
believers, composed of: (a) baptized Christians; (Db) catechumens; 
(c) inquirers; (d) children of the believing parents. 

Have we an organized church? No, not as yet. We do not 
propose to organize a church in our district until there are at 
least twenty-five baptized Christians. Our mission has for its 
ideal a SELF-SUPPORTING, SELF-GOVERNING, and SELF- 
PROPAGATING African Church. We are seeking to reach this 
ideal in the following manner: 

1. In the hope of establishing a self-supporting church, we 
urge upon our Christians the duty of tithing. They are asked to 
tithe strictly of any money they earn, and also to tithe the first- 
fruits of their farm products. Are you surprised to hear that we 
have the “envelope system” away out there in this pioneer station? 
We started it the first Sunday I was on the field after returning 
from my first furlough. A few are slack and unfaithful, and need 
to be reminded of their obligation. But the majority are regular 
and give with pleasure and a cheerful spirit as unto the Lord. 
Very often farm products—the first fruits—are brought to the 
home of the missionaries. It is exchanged with money. The 
food is used for the boarding school, but the money is put into 
the Lord’s treasury. (At Christmas time we ask a special thank- 
offering of our Christians, and some have given as much as 
twenty-five cents. This is a large gift when one considers that 
the average man is unable to earn more than fifty or sixty cents 
a week. Sometimes a Christian couple will feel constrained to 


Evangelistic Work 169 


bring a special offering of thanksgiving upon the birth of a 
child.) With these tithes we are supporting Filibbus, the only 
paid worker in our district. The money is not. quite sufficient 
for his entire allowance (he is teacher in the boarding school), 
but as the number of believers increases the gifts will also in- 
crease. 

2. In the matter of self-government we have made a good 
beginning. Three of our best Christians—married men—who, 
since they reached baptism, have not at any time been put under 
discipline, have been installed as elders. I insisted upon this as 
soon as I knew that we two women were to be the only workers 
in the district. They were installed at a regular Sunday morning 
service by an ordained missionary. With these three elders 
we consult in all matters of discipline and government, and 
frequently charge them with special duties in the little flock, 
thus teaching them what it is to have oversight of the church of 
Jesus Christ. For instance, if a catechumen asks for baptism, I 
will first ask the elders whether they agree, and after they agree, 
we ask the other church members to give their consent. In the 
matter of ‘‘rules and regulations,” it is well not to have the 
Christians think that the white people are making church laws 
and demanding their enforcement. Take the matter of drinking 
beer. The missionaries are not agreed among themselves about 
this. Some think we should have a rule demanding total absti- 
nence, while others declare we have no such right, that Scripture 
does not permit us to take away a person’s liberty. This is a very 
serious matter in Africa, where drinking is such a curse. I had 
a special meeting of the male church members to talk some of 
these things over. I asked them what was their desire in the 
matter of converts being allowed to partake of strong drink. Im- 
mediately one said, “White Lady, we black people do not know 
moderation, we do not know self-control. We may say it is all 
right to drink a little bit, but a black man does not know the 
difference between a little bit and a whole lot. We will surely 
have drunkenness. I say with all my heart we must have a strict 
rule that we make a person abstain from all strong drink.” The 
others all agreed that this was right, and that they wished their 


170) Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


church to have this rule—total abstinence. So we have prohi- 
bition—not by the advice of the missionary, but by the common 
consent and demand of the Christians who are gradually taking 
the responsibility of self-government. 

3. Just what do we mean by a self-propagating church? 
Every convert must witness to the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. 
Every believer must be a missionary to tell others of the Christ 
he has learned to love and serye. The Christians must be asked 
to volunteer to go to neighboring villages to preach to the people. 
They must be encouraged to give a part of their time to definite 
evangelization work. No teachers and evangelists must be em- 
ployed and supported with home funds. We must establish out- 
stations in the district and ask the Christians to go and take 
charge of these out-stations, holding services and helping the 
people to a knowledge of Christ. And such Christians must 
be voluntary workers. If they receive any remuneration it must 
be from the native church, and not from funds received through 
the mission board. This is very hard. It is so much easier to 
employ a staff of teachers and evangelists, set them out in the 
district, and trust them to do their whole duty. But the easiest 
way is not always the surest. I believe that in a work such as 
ours, and among a primitive people, we must adhere strictly to 
the ideal of a self-propagating church. Already we have a begin- 
ning, as I hope to explain more fully in a chapter that will be 
devoted to the story of our first Dzompere convert who became 
the first voluntary worker in the district. 

As soon as out-stations are established the missionary will 
have to make repeated visits to such places to help and encourage 
the worker, and to carefully examine the progress of the work. 

When a person shows a decided interest in the message of 
salvation, and requests to be further instructed, the missionary 
is expected to help such a one. I refer specially to the results of 
trekking. We have a woman in one village thirty miles away, 
who is showing a keen interest in the things of the Lord and who 
has a deep desire to be taught. It is hard to make trips to a 
village so far away. Nor can we send one of our elders. It will 
not do for a man to give individual instructions to the wife of 





Evangelistic Work 171 


another. Nor can we ask the woman to come to our place. Her 
husband would not give her this permission knowing full well 
that she would be subject to fierce temptation. Nevertheless, our 
evangelistic effort must include some way of reaching those who 
are being drawn by the Spirit of the Lord. 

There are many problems that arise. I think it best to deal 
with a few of these in a separate chapter. But they belong to the 
evangelistic work, and you will then see how tremendous is the 
task that confronts the pioneer missionary. 

At the present time we are laying the foundation of the Church 
of Jesus Christ. If the structure is to be permanent, the founda- 
tion must be strong and carefully planned. If the foundation is 
of sand, the structure will be thrown over with the first wind. 
Persecution is almost sure to arise sooner or later! The enemy 
will hurl his attacks against the church! May the Lord help us 
to build upon the rock. May we be supplied with wisdom from 
above to teach pure doctrines. May discipline be administered 
in the spirit of Christ. Then God’s Spirit will not be grieved, 
and His striving in the church will not be quenched. O, that 
our Sender may look down upon the little flock of believers in 
this Takum district, and declare: 


“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed! 

For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; 

ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, 
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.” 





Takum women going to the hill for palm wine. 
See page 104. 


CAND eave L 


“Coming, coming, yes they are, 
Coming, coming, from afar, 
From the wild and scorching desert, 
Afric’s sons of colour deep; 
Jesus’ love has drawn and won them, 
At His cross they bow and weep.” 


BRAR ARRAS ARR AR AR A AS AR RIS AS AE 


CHAPTER XVII 
EIRST ERUIES 


One may be able to fill a single volume with the detailed life 
story of each one of the converts. I feel constrained to mention 
only a limited number. When our Lord was upon earth, there 
were many converts of whom we have never heard even their 
names mentioned in the Bible. Of the chosen twelve disciples 
we know very little about their conversion and Christian life. 
The names of several of them are not even mentioned after the 
Day of Pentecost. 

Our work in this Takum district is so new that I hesitate to 
speak too glaringly of the results. The work is not yet sufficiently 
established to know whether each one who makes a profession 
is truly sincere. From time to time we cross off the name of an 
inquirer—the path of Jesus Christ being too narrow for them. 
And it may be that, should tribulation or persecution arise 
because of the Word, many would be offended. 

In the homeland we cannot understand what fierce tempta- 
tions beset our Christians. On every side of them is polygamy, 
gross immorality, beer drinking, and immoral dances. Takum has 
a large native market. This draws great numbers of men from 
neighboring tribes who pass through on their way to different 
trading centers. As a result we have in Takum a host of immoral 
women. Such women are very brazen and dare to approach 
anyone with an invitation to enter their tents of wickedness. 
These are the women who go to the hill for palm wine which 
they get for the price of sin, and take it back to the Takum 
market to sell to such who are waiting for the palm wine and also 
for the palm-wine women. On their way to the hill these women 
have to pass our compound, and frequently they come in, having 


mle, 


176 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


for an excuse a request for a drink of water, or for a little fire 
to light their pipe. 

There is also a great temptation before our Christians when 
their heathen relatives ask them to partake of food that has been 
sacrificed to the spirits. 

The missionary spends hours in patient dealing with this one 
and that one who has been lured aside into the path of the enemy. 
Out here in Africa, dealing with a child-like people, some of 
whom are crawling out of the thick night of heathenism, and 
seeking to stand in the light of the Savior, we realize the 
force of the Evening Hymn: 

“For some are sick and some are sad, 
And some such grievous passions tear; 


And some have never loved Christ well, 
And some have lost the love they had.” 


Surely the Apostle Paul lived through these very same experi- 
ences. Read his epistles, and see how he was continually rebuk- 
ing and admonishing those early Christians. Carnality, fornica- 
tion, hatred and drunkenness were all there in the church at 
Corinth. And surely the Devil is not less busy in these days than 
he was in that time. We, the missionaries of the cross, have 
entered the Devil’s territory. For centuries he has been holding 
these people in terrible bondage. And now we come to disturb 
his right-of-way. We come in the name of our Christ, and, while 
Satan may know that already he is defeated, nevertheless in these 
days he seems to be working night and day to dethrone the Lord 
Jesus in the hearts of men and women everywhere. 

But blessed be our God—most of our converts who do yield 
to temptation and commit some flagrant sin, come again with 
true repentance, public confession, and the request to be restored. 

Again I say, blessed be our God, there are those who have 
not turned to the right nor to the left, but who have kept their 
eyes fixed upon Calvary, and who have stood, clad in the whole 
armor of God, against every onslaught of the enemy. Pray that 
they may continue to stand! 

Let me first introduce you to the three elders in our little 
flock. I will mention them by their Christian names, i.e., the 


First Fruits edd 


names they received at baptism. We do not encourage them to 
change their names, but sometimes a person has a slave name or a 
name connected with the spirit worship, and wishes to drop that 
for a Bible name. Others prefer having two names, retaining 
the name given them by their parents, and adding a Bible name. 

The three elders are Filibbus (Philip), Istifanus (Stephen), 
Danyelu (Daniel). 

Filibbus came to us from Wukari, where he was converted 
and baptized. He is the one who also helps us as teacher in the 
boarding school, and who is almost entirely supported by the 
contributions of the native church. His wife is also a baptized 
Christian—from the Freed Slaves’ Home at Wukari. Her name 
is Astira (Esther). She was captured when very young or sold 
to pay off a debt, and thus became a slave. The government 
found it out, released her, and put her in the home which our 
mission had for such freed slaves. Filibbus and Astira were bap- 
tized on the same day, though at that time there was no thought 
of their marrying each other. From the beginning he was promis- 
ing, and the missionaries gave him special instruction in the 
hope that he would become a teacher-evangelist. He then asked 
for Astira to be his wife, and it was they who were married 
shortly after I arrived in Africa. It was the first Christian 
wedding I saw, and it made a profound impression upon me, to 
think that these who formerly were heathen, had made such 
progress in the way of the Lord, as now to be standing in the 
chapel, before an ordained missionary, being joined together with 
the Christian marriage ceremony. Little did I think that I would 
have so much joy with this Christian couple in my work in 
Africa. The Lord has blessed them with three lovely children, 
strong, healthy, affectionate little tots. It requires no effort to 
love them. Filibbus and Astira are very happy. There is so 
much quarreling between husbands and wives in Africa, that it 
is a joy when one sees a couple so happy in the Lord, and so 
truly united. Never do we hear a word of complaint or an up- 
roar. For this year, while the boarding school is closed, Filibbus is 
stationed at Takum, to help the Christians there. Next year, 
when I return, the Lord willing, I would like to send him to one 


178 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


of our other stations for another year of definite training to fur- 
ther equip him for Christian service. 

I do not know of a name in the Bible more suitable to the 
character of the second elder, than the name he has chosen, Istif- 
anus (Stephen). His countenance expresses the peace and joy 
that floods his soul. His prayers are in the power of the Holy 
Spirit. He is never ashamed of his Lord! He has been used of 
God to win four others of ‘his relatives to the Savior. Three 
have made public confession at Takum, and the fourth is a 
brother with two wives, who is seeking to arrange his matri- 
monial difficulty before taking a public stand. But I have every 
reason to believe that he is sincere, and that he will soon come 
into the little flock of believers. Istifanus has one great sorrow. 
His wife is not a Christian. He has come to me over and over 
to pour out his heart about this matter. One day he said to me, 
“We have been married over eight years. I have never once 
quarreled with my wife. We are very happy. I love her. But 
she does not love my Lord! I keep on talking to her, praying 
with her, and praying for her, and it seems I am waiting so long.” 
He was very grieved, and I tried to encourage him to continue 
in prayer with her and for her. She does sometimes come to 
service, and when I left Takum, she walked along the road to 
see us off. 


“Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry, 
While on others Thou art calling, 
Do not pass her by.” 


Istifanus will not permit her to grind corn for beer or making 
any food that is to go to the spirit places. Her parents are 
heathen, and they have threatened to disown her should she 
become a Christian. She is afraid of their threats. They have 
begged her to leave her husband, but she clings to him. This 
gives us hope that God, in His own time, will reveal to her her 
need of a Savior. Istifanus is a resident of Takum and belongs 
to the Jukun tribe. He is faithful in attending all services, and 
in matters of discipline he is a great help to the missionary. He 
is honest to speak his convictions, stern in his attitude toward 
sin, but sympathetic in his dealing with the sinner. His own 


First Fruits 179 


Christian walk is so honorable that none can ever point the 
finger to him, and sneeringly remark, “There is a beam in thine 
own eye!” I do sincerely hope that this elder may be spared for 
many years, and kept by the power of God, leading many souls 
to Jesus Christ. 

The third elder Danyelu (Daniel) is the first convert from 
among the Dzompere tribe, and I thought it might be helpful and 
encouraging if I gave his story in full, and will endeavor to do 
so in the next chapter. 

Having acquainted you with the leaders in the little flock, it 
is only right that I should next introduce you to the oldest mem- 
ber. Her name is Pa’ana, and I would judge her to be well over 
fifty years of age. She is a resident of Takum, also belonging to 
the Jukun tribe. I believe that the bondage of slavery has been 
her portion for many years. She is a widow, and works for her 
living, making native food and selling it in the market. She was 
first told about the Lord Jesus by an inquirer who was led to wit- 
ness to her about the truth. She came fearlessly to chapel and it 
was not long before the Savior had entered the open door into 
her heart. She begged to be baptized. At first the missionaries 
thought best to wait. Pa’ana could not read, she was poor and 
needed most of her time to earn a living. She asked one or two 
of the other women to help her, but they soon lost patience with 
Pa’ana’s poor brain power to retain the letters of the alphabet. 
Probably her eyesight was not too good either. But at every serv- 
ice, at prayer meeting, at any special class, she was always 
present. There was no room to doubt her sincerity. And she 
kept on pleading for baptism. At last we could not put her off 
any longer. It seemed unfair and mean to hinder her entering 
the fellowship of the inner circle of believers. So she was bap- 
tized. What a happy day that was for her! With devout rever- 
ence she partakes of the Lord’s Supper! With tears she prays in 
the prayer meeting, pleading for sinners and for inquirers who 
are cold or who have gone into sin. She has suffered much in 
the way of bitter nagging in the market place. She has been 
pushed out of one place and another, forbidden to sit where she 
chose to sell her wares. One day I catechized her carefully to 


180 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


see whether she really understood about the Lord. I was amazed! 
Though she could not learn to read, surely the Holy Spirit was 
teaching her the things of Christ. She understood thoroughly all 
about the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of our 
Lord. Also about the future life. With radiant hope she was 
assured of a place in the “City of Gold,’ in that day when He 
comes to “make up His jewels.” 

She is faithful in presenting her tithe offering unto the Lord 
each week. Her envelope is never missing. One Christmas she 
brought a sheep to give as her special thanksgiving offering. 
Several of the Christians brought native foodstuffs. We distrib- 
uted these among the blind, the lepers, the aged, the poor of 
Takum. The tears came to my eyes as one led the sheep, tied 
to a cord, to where we stood. Pa’ana would have to save a long 
time to be able to buy a sheep. But she realized that the wealth 
of all eternity was hers now that the Babe of Bethlehem was her 
personal Savior. 

She is a woman of great prayer, and she seems always to pray 
aloud. The other Christians often hear her in her little hut, 
praying aloud unto the Lord. They have given her this name: 
“The Daughter of Prayer.” Pa’ana did not take a Bible name 
when she was baptized. But surely she could have no more 
beautiful name than the one by which she is always called, not 
by her own choice, but conferred upon her by the other beliey- 
ers—The Daughter of Prayer. 

Just before my co-worker and I came away from the district 
Pa’ana came to me and asked to buy a New Testament. I said 
to her: “But Pa’ana, what good will the book be to you, seeing 
you cannot read it?” She said: “I know I cannot read it. Not 
in this world. But now you and the other lady are going away. 
We shall be lonesome. I want you to know that I have a New 
Testament. I shall have it in my hut to look at. I shall hold it 
in my hand, and carry it to chapel on Sunday.” And she handed 
me fifty cents to pay for the New Testament. 

Pa’ana cried very bitterly when we left. In silence, together 
with the other Christians, she walked with us for a long way out- 
side the town, until I asked them to go no farther, but to return 


First Fruits 181 


home. Pa’ana broke down and sobbed bitterly. May the Lord 
sustain her through this earthly pilgrimage, and when her days 
are complete, may He open the gates of heaven to her, saying, 
“Come in, thou Daughter of Prayer!” 

I would like also to acquaint you with one of our other Chris- 
tian women. Her name is Merimu. She, too, did not take a Bible 
name when baptized. Last November (’25) she received the 
sacrament and was enrolled with the members in full commun- 
ion. Rev. C. W. Guinter came to us to perform several special 
services. Merimu is the wife of a Mohammedan, who is a native 
blacksmith, residing in Takum. He is a polygamist. Merimu is | 
his head wife. She too has had to bear much persecution in her 
own household. Her husband has a violent temper, and all his 
other wives run away and leave him after a short time. Ina 
single year he may take several women, but each will run away 
after a quarrel. Merimu, with a patience given to her by the 
Lord, remains faithful. It is not to be wondered at if she com- 
plains about the cruel treatment she often receives, when her 
faithfulness and honest character are never appreciated. I 
have spoken to this husband on several occasions, and he has 
come to our chapel often. He admits that we teach the truth of 
God, but he is not willing to pay the price—live with only 
one wife. 

It is all of four years ago since Merimu first made public con- 
fession of Christ. And like Pa’ana she is very faithful in church 
attendance, etc. Her envelope is never missing on the collection 
plate on Sunday morning. She has often gone out with Astira to 
visit other women in the town and to tell them of the Lord. She 
is loved by the people, the heathen as well as the Christians, 
because she is ever willing to help in a time of need. She is 
constantly witnessing to her own relatives about the Lord Jesus. 

One of the little girls in our boarding school is the daugh- 
ter of Merimu. The mother is so anxious that the child shall not 
grow up to adhere to the Mohammedan faith, and to be married 
to a Mohammedan. She wants her to be a Christian, and marry 
one of the converts. Merimu also has two married daughters, 
and had several husbands herself before she was converted. She 


182 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


is a woman of about forty-five. May the Great Shepherd of the 
sheep enable her to endure steadfastly unto the end! 

On the same day that Merimu was baptized, a man named 
Umaru also received this sacrament. He belongs to the Bafum 
tribe, but has been a resident of Takum for several years. He 
also made first confession to follow the Lord about four years 
ago. He was at our boarding school for some months last year. 
I should judge him to be about thirty years old. He is a splendid 
Christian, who, as far as we know, has never needed to be dis- 
ciplined for falling into gross sin. 

Last year I was resting for two weeks on one of the high 
mountains about four miles from Takum. Early one morning 
we had visitors come to greet us—the brother of Umaru together 
with a little girl whom I had never seen before. Umaru’s brother 
handed me a note. The note was from the hand of Umaru, and 
contained a sentence like this: “To my mother, I am sending 
you for a present this little girl to be your daughter. She is my 
wife. I have just brought her from my home town far away. 
Will you please teach her all things she must know to be a good 
Christian and a good wife?” The little thing was shy and nervy- 
ous. I asked her: “What is your name?” but she trembled to 
speak to me. In her hand was a tiny chicken which she was 
bringing me as a present. I would judge her to be not a day 
over fourteen. After a little visit with the brother, who is a 
catechumen, they again went down the mountain to return to 
Takum. I sent a message and greetings to Umaru the husband. 
Afterwards he came to our compound with his little girl wife and 
they both received school training. She is a lovely, bright child, 
and I believe will be a follower of our Lord in all sincerity. It 
was sad to see her so young and married. But I was also glad 
to think that she was having a Christian husband, a husband who 
would not be adding other wives, whereas it might have been her 
lot to be married to some old man who had a household full of 
women. 

We told Umaru that he would have to stand up with his wife 
in the chapel and have the Christian ceremony, if he was to be 
baptized. He was very willing, and so on the same Sunday that 


First Fruits 183 


he received the sacrament of baptism, they had their marriage 
solemnized in the presence of God and His congregation. ‘This 
was a happy day! Some days before, I had asked Umaru whether 
he wished to take a Bible name, and if so to let me know the 
name he chose. He said: “I would like the name Matthew.” 
What led him to choose this name? We had been having Bible 
lessons and I told them about the conversion of Matthew, the 
feast he made unto Jesus, how the Lord chose him to be a dis- 
ciple and how later he was honored by the Holy Spirit to write 
the gospel bearing his name. These lessons made a marked 
impression upon Umaru. I saw that he was drinking in every 
word. But I was surprised when he said he wanted to be called 
“Matthew.” He felt that Jesus had called him from the outcast of 
society just like Matthew, and so he wanted that name. His 
was baptized “Umaru Matta’ (Umaru Matthew). The last mes- 
sage from the field brings me news that a new little life—a baby 
girl—has come into their home. May their home be a beacon 
light in the midst of the darkness, and may others be led to Christ 
through Umaru Matta and his wife, who is now an inquirer. 

‘‘And what shall I more say? For the time 

WOULCTALM Mme +lO:tGlleOle =. memes eand On 

Met eo ead OL. 4 er stink 

Among the group of catechumens and inquirers are others 
who are very promising. True, some of them need repeatedly to 
be dealt with because they are lax and unfaithful in their Chris- 
tian walk, and others have to be crossed off the roll. We took 
one young man off last year for marrying a second wife. I had 
warned him, and prayed with him, but he persisted, and then 
for a long time he stayed away from chapel. But latterly he was 
again coming to Sunday services. He cannot again be enrolled 
as inquirer until he puts away the second wife, and makes public 
confession of his sin. 

One woman took it upon herself to make and sell native 
beer, and she was taken from the roll. But the last Sunday I] 
was in the district we had the joy of seeing her arise with a 
public confession, and ask to be again restored. She was then 
again enrolled as inquirer. 


184 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Another young man transgressed the seventh commandment, 
and while he publicly confessed his sin, the elders decided to 
make him wait two years before receiving baptism. 

Still another was tempted to eat food sacrificed to the spirit 
of a dead man. He was hungry and tired and fell before this 
temptation. No one saw him eat this food, no one would ever 
have known it, but the Spirit of the Lord gave this young man 
no rest until he came to confess his sin. 

We very often think of the words of the Great Apostle: 


‘We are troubled on every side, yet not dis- 
itressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but 
not destroyed.” 


If, dear friend, you are among that large number who pray 
continually for the welfare of Zion; for the breaking down of the 
strongholds of Satan; for the spread of the blessed gospel mes- 
sage, that the peoples who sit in darkness might see the Light, 
then I have told you enough in this chapter to make you extol 
with the psalmist, 


“IT love the Lord, for He hath heard 
my voice and my supplication.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


“God is working His purpose oul as year succeeds to year, 
God is working His purpose out and the time is drawing near; 
Nearer and nearer draws the time, 
The time that shall surely be, 
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God 
As the waters cover the sea. 


“All we can do is nothing worth unless God blesses the deed: 
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide till God gives life to the seed; 
Yet nearer and nearer draws the time, 

The time that shall surely be, 
When the earth shall be full of the glory of God 
As the waters cover the sea.” 


BOE ADA AA ARAN AS AS AD AS AD AI AD 


CHAPTER XVIII 
THE FIRST CONVERT FROM AMONG THE DZOMPERE 


Tribal customs are very strong among the Dzompere. The 
women and children live in constant terror. Should a man die and 
leave two or three wives, these women will not have the privi- 
lege to marry whom they please. At once they become the prop- 
erty of the eldest brother of the dead man. This brother may 
claim the women for his own wives, or he may sell them, or he 
may exchange them to secure others for himself. In this way a 
widow, together with her children, become slaves. They have 
no liberty of their own whatsoever. 

In the event of children being left orphans, they also become 
the property of their father’s brother. If there are many chil- 
dren, they may be divided among several brothers, but the older 
brother will have charge of the dividing, and he may take two or 
three and give a younger brother only one. 

On one of the hills near us a boy and a girl became orphans. 
They were still quite young. The girl was kept and sold to a 
man on another hill. The boy was appropriated by the father’s 
brother. It so happened that the big chief visited this hill one 
day, and asked about this orphan boy. He expressed the desire 
to have the lad come to his compound. Who would dare to 
refuse the desire of the big chief? All the people were afraid of 
him, and all his requests would be immediately granted. Not 
because one wished to heed his wishes, but because one was afraid 
of consequences if his wishes were refused. 

The little orphan boy went down from his high hill to the 
town to become son of the big chief there. 

All this happened several years before we missionaries went 
into the district. 


[ 187 ] 


188 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


The boy was given a name by the chief. It was a slave name, 
Nasamu. Samu, to find; Na, I—I have found. Thus the literal 
meaning of this boy’s name betrayed his position as slave: 
Nasamu—lI have found one. For a long time the boy did not 
know the meaning of his own name. 

Nasamu was set to work as horse boy. He would have to go 
and find fresh grass for the horse of the big chief. In the dry 
season this would be quite a task and might mean that Nasamu 
would have to walk a long way to some stream, in order to find 
fresh green grass. He would also have to clean the hut where 
the horse had its abode. It is not a mean hut that would be given 
to the animal. Such an animal would get better care than most 
of the children of the big chief. And should the horse die, it 
would provoke more anxiety and concern than should a wife 
die. A horse is more valuable than a woman. It is easier to get 
a new wife than to get a new horse. A woman may quarrel with 
her husband and make him weary with many words, but a horse 
will carry his master and spare him all weariness. 

After a while Nasamu became aware of the fact that he was a 
slave rather than a son; that the chief was his taskmaster rather 
than his father. But there could be no thought of escape. Day 
after day he cut grass and swept the hut of the horse. He must 
be content to eat such things as were set before him, and much 
of his food consisted of native beer. A few cast-off tattering rags 
was all the covering he had for his body. 

One day he heard a piece of strange news. He heard that in 
the town of Takum was a school, and that “a certain one” was 
teaching the people about God—the God Who made them—and 
that “the certain one” held a thing in his hand which was called 
“a book.” This news made Nasamu’s heart beat fast with desire 
to hear about the God Who made him. Would he dare to ask 
the chief for permission to come to that school? Yes, one eve- 
ning he had the courage and went to the place where the chief 
was sitting. 

“Lion, Lion,’ said Nasamu, clapping his hands to greet the 
chief. A chief is addressed in this way to honor him with power 
and authority. 


The First Convert From Among the Dzompere 189 


“Nasamu, is that you?” responded the chief of the boy who 
was now a young man. 

“Lion, yes, it is I, and, if you will agree to let me speak, | 
have a request.” 

“What is it you want?” 

“Lion, I hear that in this your town one is telling of a Book 
and of a God Who made us. May I go to learn?’ 

“No, you may not go. Your work is to care for the horse. 
You may go and leave me.” 

Nasamu had to rise and leave the chief. He was heartbroken, 
his hopes crushed, but he returned to his hut where he slept 
together with several others. Day after day his heart still longed 
to go to school, and after a time he gathered up courage to go a 
second time to the chief and beg for permission. 

Bowing to the ground, he respectfully greeted the chief with 
the same words, “Lion, Lion,” meanwhile clapping his hands. 

“Is it you, Nasamu? And what is your errand?” 

“Lion, I have come again to ask you, if you will agree, to let 
me go to school and hear about God and the Book.” 

‘“Nasamu, look at me! See the wives I have; see the large 
compound I have; see the power I have. I do not know about 
the Book. And who are you? Why do you want to learn of 
something that I do not know about? Nasamu, I will give you a 
wife and you can settle down and rest your mind about school.” 

“Lion, it is not a wife I ask for, but I do want to go to school.” 

This second time his request was not granted. He was sent 
away. A little later the chief gave him a young girl—a Dzompere 
girl—to be his wife. Quite likely this girl also was a slave, and 
the chief did not desire her for himself, and so passed her on to 
Nasamu. All this happened before we missionaries came to the 
district. A convert from another town had been sent to Takum 
to work as a teacher-evangelist in that big town, preparatory to 
the coming of the missionaries. 

But the Holy Spirit gives a person no rest when that one is to 
come to the knowledge of Christ. And so Nasamu was made to 
be bold and fearless. A third time, under the cover of night, he 
sought the presence of the chief, and greeted him as before. 


190 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


“Lion, Lion,’ clapping his hands loudly to give honor and 
respect. 

“It is Nasamu, and what have you come for at this time?” 

“Lion, even if you cut my body in pieces, I must go to school 
and learn about the Book and about God.” 

The chief saw that this boy was not to be put off, and no 
doubt the Lord overruled «to have the chief give Nasamu 
permission. 

“Nasamu, I will let you go, but you must do your full share of 
work just the same. You are not to stay at the school by night. 
You are to come here and sleep. 

“Lion, thank you, thank you!” said Nasamu as he arose to 
leave the chief. 

He was very happy, and the next day he sought the Christian 
teacher who at once commenced to help him. 

All the instruction was in Hausa, and Nasamu did not know 
anything about this language. He only knew the Dzompere, and 
a little Jukun. But he learned readily. First the alphabet, then 
a few exercises which were printed on sheets of paper, and then 
the first primer. Nasamu was learning many things at once, a 
new language, reading, writing—and the Truth of God. 

How wonderful is the providence of God! When the mission- 
aries came to the district, here was Nasamu, a Dzompere man, 
but with a knowledge of the Hausa language. In this way he was 
very useful as interpreter. The missionaries knew Hausa, but 
the Dzompere language was still untouched. Using an interpreter 
to preach the gospel is not desirable unless the interpreter 
is an earnest follower of the Lord Jesus. Even then it is not the 
ideal way, but must often be resorted to in the early stages of 
the work. And here then was a Christian interpreter. Here was 
the first convert from the Dzompere tribe! 

Nasamu had not gone long to the mission school when he felt 
led to give up all the worship of his ancestors and declare him- 
self to be “fon the Lord’s side.” 

When the missionaries came to the district a friendly relation- 
ship was established between the big chief and themselves. The 
chief was asked whether he would set Nasamu at liberty to work 


The First Convert From Among the Dzompere 191 


for the missionary, to help with the language, interpretation, etc., 
etc. This request was readily granted, and Nasamu, his wife and 
their first baby, moved their home from Takum to Lupwe, to be 
on the mission compound. 


At this time Nasamu was an inquirer, having made his first 
public confession to follow Christ. We continued to give him 
instruction, and it seemed very evident that this first convert was 
thoroughly sincere. Before Rev. Whitman left the district on 
furlough, he had the joy of baptizing this first convert from the 
Dzompere tribe, dropping his slave name and giving him the 
name Danyelu (Daniel). 

Danyelu’s wife has also made confesssion of Christ. She is at 
present a catechumen, and we hope will receive baptism some 
time next year (27). When I returned to the field after my first 
furlough I helped her with the birth of their second child. 


When we came to decide upon three married baptized men, 
who were to be given the position of elder in the little flock, 
Danyelu was chosen to be one of the three. So far as we knew, 
these three men were honorable in every way, and had a clean 
record from the time they first made confession of Christ. 


Later on, having no resident evangelist at Takum, we asked 
Danyelu to act as caretaker there. The mission has several huts 
and a chapel in Takum, and it is necessary to keep this place in 
good order. We also wanted Danyelu to buy the food at the 
native market for the boarding school, and to bring this out to 
Lupwe. 


But on the hills around us were thousands of Dzompere 
people about whom we felt concerned. We made it a definite 
matter of prayer for a long time, and were led to ask that Dan- 
yelu might be separated unto special service among his own 
people. In Takum were several Christians who could witness to 
the Lord, but beyond our compound were thousands of Dzompere 
scattered over the hills without a single witness to lead them to 
the Christ. Trekking through the hills is very difficult, and many 
of the people can hear the message of life only once in a single 
year. 


192 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


We realized that for Danyelu this would mean a great act of 
self-denial. The Christians enjoy the fellowship of one another, 
and Danyelu would have to take his whole household and be the 
only Christian in the midst of a heathen community. He would 
have to earn his living by farming, and it might be hard for a 
few years as the heathen would not help him unless he paid them 
with beer, which, as a Christian, he would not be permitted to 
do. Isolated on one of the hills, away from the native market, he 
could not earn such a good living, and now he had himself, his 
wife and two little girls to feed and clothe. Knowing these 
things we yet realized that God was able to supply his need, and 
that Jesus for our sakes became poor, and that Danyelu possessed 
the supreme blessing of salvation. 

One day he came to Lupwe bringing the food he had pur- 
chased in the native market, and I asked him to come in and 
listen to a message I wished to tell him. He sat on the mat, and 
I proceeded to tell him all that was upon my heart, and how 
for a long time, my co-worker and I had been praying definitely 
for him. I said something like this: ‘“‘Danyelu, there are not 
less than ten thousand Dzompere people over these hills. It is 
our task to tell them of Jesus Christ. Of all these ten thousand 
the Lord God, in his infinite love and wisdom, has chosen you to 
be the first to come to a knowledge of the Savior. Into your 
darkness God came with the light of His Son Jesus. Now what 
about the many thousands still in darkness? You, Danyelu, are 
responsible in part for this task of bringing them the light. Will 
you go home and pray about the matter, to see if God would have 
you move your home from Takum to one of these Dzompere 
places?” 

He looked rather surprised, and said he did not see that it 
would be possible. I said: “You cannot see it until you have 
prayed about it. Therefore go home and make it a matter of 
definite prayer.” 

About two or three weeks later he asked if I had time for a 
little talk. He then told me how that he had thought of the mat- 
ter over and over, and prayed about it, but he was afraid the 
whole family would die of starvation. 


The First Convert From Among the Dzompere 193 


I explained that it would be hard for a few years. He would 
receive no remuneration from the mission as we were building 
the work on the basis of a self-supporting native church; and if 
he went as a paid evangelist the heathen would not understand, 
and would say that he was coming to them with “white man’s 
book and receiving much white man’s money.” This would be a 
decided hindrance to them in listening to the message. But, after 
a few years of seed-sowing, we would expect the gospel to bear 
fruit. If, through Danyelu’s efforts converts were won, they 
would also be taught to tithe, and with these tithe offerings Dan- 
yelu could receive some help. I made this all very clear to him, 
and assured him that the work would be under close supervision 
of the missionary in charge of the district. I further urged him 
to go home and once more consider the matter. 

The next day was Sunday, and I went in to Takum to take the 
Sunday meetings. Danyelu usually boils a kettle of water for tea 
which I have with a sandwich that I take along. He came and 
said that he “had words to make if I could let him speak.” I 
gladly gave him the opportunity to say what he wanted. “You 
know, Baturiya, God called Moses to do a great work,” he said, 
“but Moses refused to obey. He made excuses about his tongue 
and his mouth, but at last he did obey and was willing. Now, I 
have been just like Moses. I have refused and made excuses, but 
now I want to tell you that I am willing to go and try.” 

What a glorious victory! You may know how happy the 
missionaries were on this Sunday. We praised the Lord for 
sending His Spirit into Danyelu’s heart to persuade him to go 
and witness for Christ to his own tribesmen. 

After a little more conversation, Danyelu said, ‘‘Where do 
you think I should go, Baturiya?”’ 

“To the west of us, nine miles, is Kwamba. You know how 
eagerly the people have listened whenever we visit them with the 
gospel. You remember,” I continued, “how a man there pleaded 
with me to help his boy who was so sick. We told this man of 
our God Who has ears and can hear, eyes and can see, and that 
we would pray and ask Him to heal the boy. You remember 
the boy got well again and how glad the father was when we 


194 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


came the next time to the village. And then near Kwamba are 
two other large hills, with many Dzompere people, which you 
could visit from Kwamba. I think you would do well to live in 
Kwamba.” 

“Very well, we shall go to Kwamba,” he said. 


After speaking with the chief of the district about the matter, 
my co-worker and I went .to Kwamba to see the chief and the 
people there. Telling them that Danyelu was going to come and 
live in their village, I asked them whether they were willing to 
erect a hut—a prayer hut—where they might gather and hear the 
word of the Lord. Before we left that day we saw the place marked 
off where a small square building was to be put up by the people 
themselves, wherein they might gather to be instructed in the 
things that lead to life eternal. Their willingness was also a 
great joy to us. 





Then we called the two elders and asked them whether the 
Christians of Takum should not have a share in helping their 
brother to go out as the first voluntary worker in our district. 
They were willing at once, and said, “Baturiya, let us, from our 
offerings take enough money to build the huts for Danyelu. One 
hut for them to live and sleep in, and the other hut for his wife 
to do the grinding and cooking.” And so it was decided. 

All the huts were completed, Danyelu with his wife, Hawa, 
and with their two little girls, rose up from Takum and walked 
over to Kwamba, nine miles. It was a couple of weeks after my ° 
co-worker and I left the district that these Christians went to 
Kwamba. Hawa had come to me weeping, “Who will help me 
when you are gone?” She was soon to be confined, and so it was 
only natural that she would desire our help. But I assured her 
that we would pray and ask the Lord to undertake for her. 
And this prayer was wonderfully answered. The first night they 
slept in their new home at Kwamba, a little boy was born. In 
writing me of it, Danyelu said: “We have come to Kwamba. The 
first night we were here the Lord gave us a son. I was alone 
with Hawa. We are very thankful to the Lord for this gift of a 
son. Iam so happy. We are calling our son Job.” 


The First Convert From Among the Dzompere 195 


You may wonder where he got the name job. Jt made me 
smile. But I remember that we had been talking about Job 
just before I left. We do not have the Book of Job translated in 
the Hausa language, but I explained to them a little of the story 
of Job, emphasizing his wonderful faith and patience in the 
midst of great sorrow and suffering. This appealed to Danyelu, 
and when his first son was born, he decided to call him Job. 

Danyelu has seen some of the cruelties of their heathen prac- 
tices. He witnessed the killing of the women who were tied to the 
palm tree and speared to death. He knows a good deal about 
“the poison cup.” 

As yet nothing can be said about his work at Kwamba. One 
thing we know, and that is that as Christians we need to circle 
about him a girdle of strong intercession. His is no easy task! 

Every month he is to be visited by the other two elders so 
they may keep in touch with his welfare and continue to encour- 
age and help him. 

May there be many more of the converts who will be willing 
to go out as Danyelu and become voluntary workers among their 
own people. 

Danyelu has specially asked me to plead with the people in 
our home church to pray for him. Thus I pass on to you this 
personal request from the first convert of the Dzompere tribe 
who has now become the first voluntary worker among his own 
people. 

While we acknowledge with praise that “the Lord has done 
great things for us whereof we are glad,” let us continue to 


“Pray without ceasing.” 














Not our ancestors. African monkeys. 
see page 116, 


CHAPTER XIX 





PRAR ADA ARAN AD ANA AN AD ANA AAD AD 


Glin PAPER EX TX 


“SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME.” 


It was a heavy cold rain. I sat in my hut with a sweater on 
(we never have occasion to need a fire), and happened to look 
out of the window. Along the path I saw a few people hurrying 
to get home. Upon close observation I saw a man, no doubt a 
husband and father. He walked first, and carried nothing more 
than a long spear. The idea is that if he should see any animal, 
he could at once spear it. Then came a woman. On her head 
was a large basket. No doubt they had been in to the Takum 
market. On her back a little baby was fastened. The basket 
helped just a little to keep some of the cold rain off the baby. 
Of course none of the natives know such a thing as an umbrella. 
Then followed another little fellow. I was sorry for him. He 
was entirely naked, and he could hardly keep up with the two 
grown-ups who were able to walk along so fast. The little boy 
was trying to run, and then would slack a little. He looked so 
tired. He dared not be left far behind, for he would be afraid. 
He looked only about five or six years old. Rushing his little 
bare feet over the wet ground, with the rain pattering all over 
his body, he made a journey of not less than six miles. If that 
man knew the love of Jesus, do you think he would have care- 
lessly left his little boy to plod along like this? Or would he have 
taken the little fellow in his arms and carried him? 

Another time I came to a farm village. There were a few 
tiny huts where the people slept while doing their farm work. 
A woman was pounding corn. Out of a big tree a piece is cut, 
and then a hole scooped, wherein the corn is put. Then with a 
heavy stick the woman pounds the corn. ‘Tied to the woman’s 
back was a little baby. It looked only a couple of months old. 


elo | 


200 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


The fierce rays of the tropical sun were beating down on the 
baby’s head. And every time the mother pounded with the big 
stick into the heavy wooden basin, the little babe’s head would 
be thrown against her spine. Would our Christian mothers give 
their babies such thoughtless and unconcerned treatment? 

“Salama, Salama” (Peace, Peace), I called out as I entered 
one of the compounds in the town of Takum. A mother was 
sitting prepared to give her wee boy a bath. She greeted me and 
smiled pleasantly, and offered me her little stool to sit on. Beside 
her was a clay basin that contained about a cupful of water. She 
put some water in the palm of her hand, and then held her hand 
close to the little fellow’s mouth. Her hand acted as a dipper 
to give the baby a drink. Then she laid him flat on her lap, and 
from the basin she took a mouthful of water herself. Then she 
spit this water on the body of her boy and began to rub with her 
hand. One mouthful gone, she took a second mouthful and con- 
tinued this until the water was finished and until the whole body 
of the baby was wet. No soap, no wash-cloth, no towel. 

Returning to the mission compound I saw Astira giving her 
baby a bath. She had an enamel basin, and she had warmed the 
water. She set the baby right in the basin and gave it such a 
lovely wash. The baby splashed and enjoyed it. What made the 
difference? The first woman was a heathen. The second mother 
has been a Christian for some years, and the gospel is helping 
to influence every part of her life. 

I explained to you that the heathen exchange their children. 
A man has a child, and he brings it to the home of his brother 
to be brought up. The brother has a child and gives it to this 
man to bring up. Sometimes the child is given to its grand- 
parents to be trained. In this way the child receives harsher 
treatment. How often I have heard a little one screaming with 
fear as most unsuitable discipline would be administered. But 
our Christians promise before God not to give their children to 
another for training, but to take this responsibility themselves. 
And I see the littke ones of our Christians folding their hands 
and closing their eyes as they thank the Lord for the dish of food 
before them. I hear their little voices singing: ‘Jesus loves me, 


“Suffer the Little Children to Come” 201 


this I know.” And on Sunday I see the mother often sit down 
with her family and have a little Sunday School with them. Then 
my heart aches for the thousands of heathen children, and I can- 
not help but ask when they will hear of Jesus who said, ‘“‘Suffer 
the little children to come unto Me.” 

The mortality among children is very high in Central Africa. 
It is quite certain that fully half the children who are born die 
before they reach the age of five. There are no doctors and 
hospitals. There is no drug store to get medicine when a little 
one gets a high fever or a very heavy cold. Many of the mothers 
have not sufficient nourishment for their children, and such weak 
children have no chance to fight malaria, dysentery, etc. The 
parents also are very ignorant. They continue to feed the child 
coarse and heavy food even when it is ill. The sick body should 
rest, it cannot take care of digesting such food, and soon the 
baby dies. 

What a comfort our Christians have when they know the Lord 
and know how to pray. I just received a letter from one of the 
elders of our little flock in which he said: “Our boy was very 
sick. We thought he was going to die. For five days and five 
nights we (his wife and himself) cried unto Jehovah. And 
Jehovah saw the sorrow of our hearts and healed our boy. He 
is well again, and we are so very thankful to our God.” 

At a certain compound I heard loud wailing one day, and 
enquired what was the reason. I was told that a little boy had 
just died and all the people of the compound had gathered to wail 
with the father and mother. What an empty, hopeless wail! Not 
a single ray of comfort! A little hole dug in the compound, the 
wee corpse rolled in a grass mat, put in the hole, covered over, 
and the funeral is finished! 

Contrast with that the death of a child from the family of one 
of our baptized Christians. True, there was weeping, but there 
was a submission to God’s will. There was real sorrow, but this 
sorrow was mingled with hope. They believed that Jesus—the 
Lover of little children—had taken their child to Himself. The 
other Christians gathered to help their bereaved brother. They 
dug the grave, and cared for the corpse. They had a little funeral, 





202 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


singing, Scripture and prayer. While no missionaries were there 
at the time, they knew what was the proper thing for them, as 
Christians, to do. They believe that Jesus gathered this little 
lamb and carried it safely to His heavenly home. 


“But thousands and thousands who wander and fall 
Never heard of that Heavenly home; 

I should like them to know there is room for them all, 
And that Jesus has bid them to come. 

I long for that blessed and glorious time, 

The fairest and brightest and best, 

When the dear little children of every clime 
Shall crowd to His arms and be blest.” 


You will not be surprised that sometimes the missionary feels 
crushed by all the suffering of heathendom. One cannot be in 
such a dark spot and be unmindful of the fact that every day 
people are dying—children and older folks—who have not been 
acquainted with the Savior. 

On the other hand we are encouraged to know that our King 
is marching on to victory. We have great expectation from the 
children that are being born to the converts in our district. We 
look for that day when they will establish Christian homes, and, 
by faith, we see the gospel, through their efforts, go forward by 
leaps and bounds. 

It is a joy to come into the chapel on a Sunday morning and 
see the children gather—most of them able to walk, but some of 
them tied to the mother’s back. It is a delight to see the older 
ones help along with the singing, and drop a small coin, called 
an “anini” (one-fifth of a penny) into the collection plate. It 
sometimes makes me smile as I look over their faces and think 
of their names. They have Bible names. So often a parent will 
come to me and say, “Will you please name our new baby?” I 
always give them three or four names to choose from. But some- 
times they have the name all ready, because they have been im- 
pressed with the story of the character. 

Last year we were dedicating a little boy. Rev. Guinter was 
with us for special services. I asked the father what he had 
decided to call the boy. He said, “Baturiya, I wish him to be 


Ee Ue 


called ‘Simon’.” To make sure I repeated it, “Simon is the name 








“Suffer the Little Children to Come” 203 


you want?” Then he promptly replied, “Of course I mean ‘Simon 
Peter’.” This was the first time anyone took two names, but I 
think this Christian was under the impression that Simon Peter 
was a single name, not to be separated. 

I would like the pleasure of introducing you to a dozen of 
the little children, born of Christian parents, in our district: 


Hausa Name English Parents 

| RW! Ys RO Os are ee PHEDER. eee. Filibbus and Astira 

Ty ET tee ee eo A DEAN AI eer ite Filibbus and Astira 
SILL clam at ee ec DAIILUIGL ait ce te ston k Filibbus and Astira 
USAR Ur mee coats ot Sel Cores pee oe foe Istifanus and Mariyamu 
BiLkKaLU eee ree Rebekah fcthasdie. Istifanus and Mariyamu 
SiMlanabitruseoes.:. SNOT L eterna. - Istifanus and Mariyamu 
jeRSWRENET QUID abo Bs Mee Hannglitesa aac a. sh Danyelu and Hawa 
ADIL ert. 5 BDA La sarge ae cere iesseee, Danyelu and Hawa 

J ULL OY ie) goad een oa LO Diarecewiors Sete eek Danyelu and Hawa 
PSRAV AS alte ose er LSalalioene ea heen Ue, Gombe and Saya 
Karilellyaueoe sets: 2 GOEME Ll agteatter es tera Gombe and Saya 

LLU wag ay 3 ee LFULK CR a Biase act: Gombe and Saya 


There are quite a few more, but this will give you an example 
of the variety of names. 

Not any of the children from the district who have been to 
our boarding school are mentioned. 

You will agree that we have reason to be hopeful for the 
future. We look at all these little lives, children of our converts 
plus the boys in the boarding school, and pray that God may 
draw them to love the Lord Jesus while they are young, and not 
to depart from His way as they grow older. 

May the day soon dawn when the heathen children all over 
the world will hear the glad song: 

“There’s a Friend for little children, 
Above the bright blue sky, 


A Friend that never changes, 
Whose love will never die.” 





Helping the missionary on “blue Monday.” 
See page 144. 


CHAPTER XX 


“Fear thou not; for 1am with thee: 
be not dismayed; for Iam thy God: 
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will 
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee 
with the right hand of my right- 


eousness.” 
IsAIAH 41:10 


BRAD ARAN ASR AD ARR BN AS BAS ARAB RE AS 


CHAPTER XX 
A FEW QUESTIONS ANSWERED 


It is quite natural that many questions would arise in your 
mind when you hear the different missionaries on furlough speak 
of their work in heathen lands. Therefore I have decided to 
devote this one chapter to answer some of the questions asked 
me from time to time by the friends here in the homeland. I 
feel sure that many questions have already been answered in the 
preceding chapters. But here are a few more: 

How do you get your mail? 

There is no postoffice in our district, but there is a sub-station 
(with a native clerk in charge) at our head station, Ibi, seventy- 
five miles from our mission compound. This makes it necessary 
for me to send to Ibi for my mail. We send a man every two 
weeks. We put all our letters in a wooden box that has a good 
cover and a padlock. We lock it and retain the key. The carrier 
takes the box on his head and starts off to walk to Ibi—seventy- 
five miles. The missionary there has a duplicate key to our box, 
opens it, takes out the mail and sends it to the postoffice, and 
then he puts back into the box such mail as is waiting there for 
us. The box is again locked, and the same man carries it back. 
It takes a carrier a week (six days) to make this journey of one 
hundred and fifty miles. For this service he receives the sum of 
one dollar. If the box is heavy we may give him ten cents extra. 


K *% % 


Where do you buy your food? 

Before going to the field I take a trip to Chicago and order 
from Montgomery, Ward & Co. (they do special packing for 
export purposes) several cases of tinned goods: milk, flour (the 
flour is packed in ten-pound tins), coffee, tea, sugar, dried fruits, 


[ 207 | 


208 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


jams, cereals, some tinned vegetables and fruits, and a few other 
necessities. The price of such an order is exactly doubled by 
the time it reaches Lupwe station. Special packing, ocean 
freight, inland river freight, and then each box carried seventy- 
five miles into the bush, makes imported food very high. We use 
as much native food as possible: fowls, goats, sheep, and some- 
times beef can be had from the native market. Due to the heat, 
improper feeding, etc., the meat does not have the same taste as 
at home. The meat is generally tough and dry, and never has any 
fat. Sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, pumpkins, peanuts, onions, 
beans, and eggs can all be bought very cheaply in the market. 
The eggs are smaller than ours at home, because all the fowls 
are very small. The eggs cost one cent each. A fowl can be 
bought for a quarter. On the compound we have several banana 
trees, mango trees, and pawpaw. We also have pineapples. 
These fruit are brought in from home (except the banana, which 
the natives grow, though a different variety from ours). 


* * * 


Why do you live in round mud huts? 

It being a warm climate we never need be concerned about 
cold and drafts. We cannot have a wooden structure because 
the white ants would soon destroy it. We might have a stone 
and cement building. This would be very expensive, as all the 
cement would have to be imported from home. It would require 
a missionary who understands building work to put up such a 
place. But you must remember that Lupwe is a new station. We 
are not certain that this is the permanent site for the mission 
station. It may be that after ten or fifteen years we shall want 
to have the station some other place in the district. For this 
reason we put up what might be called temporary buildings. We 
shall then not be bound by expensive property should we care to 
abandon this place and go elsewhere in the district. 


Is there no missionary in the district now? 
For the past three years we have been two women workers, 
Miss Haigh from England was with me for nearly two years, when 


A Few Questions Answered 209 


her health demanded that she go on furlough. Belonging to the 
British branch she was sent to one of their stations up on the 
plateau, where the altitude is several hundred feet higher than 
Lupwe, and the climate is drier and colder. Then Miss Walker, 
of the Canadian branch was sent to be with me for a year. We 
came home together as far as England. She was married and is 
now returning to the field, her husband to take charge of a new 
station under the Canadian branch of our mission, working in 
French Africa. Rev. Wm. Hood, of the Southern Presbyterian 
Church, U.S.A., was given charge at Lupwe for this year. As 
soon as I return he is to go home on furlough. This is his first 
term of service on the field. At the present time I have no idea 
as to who is to be with me at Lupwe next term. 


* 


What is the “poison cup” or the “poison ordeal’? 

Many, many people have been killed by the poison ordeal, or 
by drinking the poison cup. It belongs to the darkness of the 
fetish worship. We have a kind of cactus in our district which 
is deadly poisonous. It is extracted and used to put on arrows 
when the men go shooting. The poison will infect the blood 
and the animal is sure to die. 

But this poison has also been used to kill people. It would 
be administered to them in food or drink after the witch-doctor 
pronounced the death sentence upon anyone who was said to be 
possessed with an evil spirit. 

The converts tell me that in our district the hair from the 
mustache of a leopard would be used to kill people. One such 
hair, cut into very small pieces, would be mixed into a dish of 
food. This would be given to the person who was to be killed, 
and without knowing it, he would be eating all this ground hair. 
This hair is very sharp, and no doubt it perforates the intestines. 
We are told that a person to whom this evil-spirit cure was given 
would soon become very sick. Then the whole abdomen would 
become distended with swelling, and the person would die. 

Thousands of lives, men, women and little children, have been 
cut off by the use of the poison ordeal. 


210 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Are you ever afraid of the people, or of the cannibals? 

Thus far I have had very little reason to be afraid of the 
people. It is necessary that the missionary continually hold an 
attitude of superiority. Not in the sense of “we are better than 
you.” God forbid! But rather in the sense of claiming and using 
authority. The missionary must prove himself or herself to be 
“boss” (not bossy); commanding and demanding obedience. We 
must seek the Lord to endow us with the gifts of leadership. 

It does not take long before the people know that we are there 
for their personal welfare. We do not come to collect tax, or to 
buy their products for trading purpose; we come to help them. 
And it does not take long for them to feel whether or not we 
truly love them. Love will always be a drawing power; love 
will bring almost any battle to a victorious finish. 

To work in this part of Africa it is necessary that I obtain 
a permit from the British government. This permit also assures 
me of their protection. Since the government has taken over 
these protectorates, tribal wars belong to the history of the past. 
We hope that soon cannibalism and all forms of infanticide and 
witch-doctor cruelties will be abolished. 


a * cS 


Are you afraid of the animals and snakes? 

Many a time have I trembled at these. It makes a difference 
as to the state of one’s physical and nervous energy. One may 
be running a low malaria temperature for days, or be recovering 
from an attack of fever, or be very tired and needing rest or 
furlough. At such a time thunder storms and other disturbances 
are apt to affect one. 

However afraid I may be of the how! of the leopard, I am still 
more afraid of the howls of human beings. It is easier to kill a 
snake than to still the “temper” of some human beings. To hear 
a man and his wife fighting with each other in the compound or 
in some village; so raging mad as to lose all self-control; acting 
as if they were truly demon-possessed—this makes me more 
afraid. Then it is that I feel my own weakness against the 
powers of the evil one, who makes people act like roaring lions 


A Few Questions Answered 211 


tearing each other to pieces. At such a time one cries out, “O 
Lord, undertake! Give me of Thy strength!” 


When they are converted, do they have any consciousness 
of sin? 

Returning from prayer meeting at Takum on a Thursday 
morning, I found my co-worker looking rather pale. She had not 
been long in the district, and received a fright that morning. I 
asked what the trouble was, and she told me that two of the older 
boys (both inquirers, each one over twenty) had a fierce battle 
with each other that morning. Not having the language as yet, 
she was afraid to interfere. They were in school when I arrived. 
At once we made the matter one of definite prayer. I thought it 
wise not to call these youths at once, but to patiently pray about 
the matter a day or two. One of them came to my hut to ask a 
certain question. I called him inside, and said I wanted to talk 
to him a minute. ‘“‘The other day,” I said to him, “when I was 


in Takum, you and A—— had a fight together. I was very 
sorry to hear of this, and want you to tell me whether you are 
still angry with A .’ He felt ashamed, but was glad to 





answer quickly: “Baturiya, we did fight; and we were angry with 
each other for most of the day. But at night we said, ‘Let us for- 
give each other and ask God to forgive us also,’ and we did that. 
We prayed together and confessed our anger to the Lord, and 
asked Him to forgive us and help us.” So, as we prayed the Lord 
worked! 

One Sunday I returned from Takum, having been there for 
the day, and one of my personal boys came to greet me. He 
said, “Are you tired, my mother?” I said, “Just a little.’ Then 
he asked, “Is your body tired or is your heart tired also?” (They 
understand that on some days we have wearying hours of disci- 
pline to wade through.) “I guess only my body is tired today,” 
I said. He sat quiet for a little, and then said, ‘““My mother, I have 
done something wrong, I must tell you, but I am afraid to tell 
you.” I told him to go on and tell me. ‘‘Yesterday morning when 
I cut down a bunch of bananas that were getting ripe, four 


7d by Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


bananas fell on the ground. I did not bring them into your house. 
Ll ate two and I gave two away. I know that that was stealing. 
Today when I sat in my hut reading my Bible, I thought of my 
sin, and began to cry, and asked the Lord to help me tell you, and 
ask you to forgive me. Will you agree to forgive me?” I asked 
him to tell me honestly whether this was the first time he had 
yielded to this temptation: to steal anything since working for 
me. He assured me it was. I talked to him for a little, and then 
told him that we should ask the Lord to forgive him. We knelt 
together, and I asked him to pray first. Not less than six times 
over during his prayer did he tell the Lord that he had broken 
the commandment and committed the sin of stealing. He began 
to cry as he pleaded with the Lord not only to forgive him, but 
to make his heart stronger to withstand all temptation. After 
I prayed, I assured him that I had forgiven him, and that, upon 
the ground of the promises in God’s word, he might believe that 
God had also forgiven him. He went away feeling grateful and 
much relieved. 

I could mention several matters like this to prove that more 
and more, as they seek to follow the Lord in truth, the Holy 
Spirit unveils to them their own sin, and quickens within them 
repentance, the power to confess and seek forgiveness, in order 
that they may know the “peace of God that passeth all under- 
standing.” 

* * *k 

Do the people appreciate the missionary and his efforts? 

Yes, decidedly so! Most of those who come to the dispensary 
are very grateful for all that we do for them. 

A most hearty welcome is given us in the different villages 
where our boarding school pupils live. The father and mother 
of one pupil walked miles to come to our place and bring me a 
little present. The parents have told me to beat their children 
if they did not obey me. And now in many of the villages, after 
a few visits, we are able to gather the people in two different 
sroups. We have the women in a separate meeting from the 
men. This proves that we are gaining their confidence. Other- 


A Few Questions Answered PR) 


wise the men would be afraid to have the women told anything 
outside their hearing. 

The school pupils are very happy. And they do show appre- 
ciation. They know that we white folks are very fond of flowers. 
Bula, the baby in our school (whose picture is on page 228), was 
given me by his father. The father said: “I have had five 
children. All have died. Only this boy is left to me. I am giving 
you the last and all that I have. Please, white lady, take good 
care of him. If he dies, my hands will be empty.” Bula is 
rather mischievous, but very bright. During the dry season there 
are very few flowers to be found. Bula went out, after we had 
the first one of two rains, to look for flowers. He found one 
pretty flower. A long stem, with several little bells of lavender 
and pale yellow, very much resembling a hyacinth. He proudly 
carried the flower to the compound, and came to me holding it 
out with a loud greeting to express that he was bringing me a 
present. It was only one flower; but it was a pretty touch of 
nature—the first flower I had in the room for a few months. And 
it was very thoughtful of this little boy, who has no pennies to 
buy a present, to show his love in this way. 

During one year [I went for a vacation to visit two mission 
stations which I had never before seen. I took one personal boy 
along to help me while traveling. At the first station, I 
was taken sick with flu and fever. In the evening my boy 
came into the hut to greet me and see if he could do anything 
for me. Then he began to cry. I asked him why he was crying; 
whether he was homesick, or hungry, or what was the matter. 
No, he was not homesick, nor was he hungry. Then it dawned 
upon me that he had never before seen me ill, and that it was 
sympathy. I said: “Are you crying because | am not well?” 
“Yes,” he sobbed: : [ told him that it was kindof him to care 
about my health, but he did not need to weep. We would pray 
and ask the Lord to make me better. He left, and as I thought, 
went to retire. Several grains of quinine and aspirin kept me 
restless and awake. I was alone in a small hut that had a door of 
heavy grass matting. I kept the lantern burning all night, and 
no doubt this shone through the door. At one o’clock in the 


214 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


morning I heard a voice at the door, “Greetings, my mother, how 
do you feel in your body?” I told the boy he might come in and 
give me a drink of water. It would encourage him if he could 
do something for me. Then I said, “Have you been sitting out- 
side there all this while?” “Yes, but that is nothing, I did not 
mind, I am not afraid,” he answered. “Listen,” I said to him, 
“now you go right to your hut and to sleep. I shall be all right, 
and shall try to sleep too. It is not necessary for you to sit 
outside there at this midnight hour.” He left, and I tried to sleep. 
Did he go to his hut? Before dawn he was seen by one of the 
other missionaries on the compound still sitting in front of the 
hut, wrapped in his sleeping blanket. He had remained there 
the whole night. He thought I might want to call him, and was 
sure to be where he would hear that call. Surely that is more 
than faithful service. That is love and appreciation! 


* * * 


On Christmas Eve all the people on our compound were very 
excited. They had gone to the bush, hauled heavy pieces of 
dead trees to the compound to have a big log fire. They were sing- 
ing the Christmas songs; playing some ring games; and were 
very happy. My co-worker and I decorated our huts with some 
green and red and silver paper that had been sent to us from the 
home friends. We were going to be as much in the spirit of the 
day out here in this bush station in Africa as we would be in 
America. It was a little later than usual when we retired, and 
we decided to sleep together that night. At midnight, we heard 
the voices of all our compound people singing softly at our door. 
They had quietly come up on the veranda, led by the teacher, 
Filibbus, and together began to sing the beautiful hymns of the 
Babe of Bethlehem! We have about six or eight Christmas hymns 
translated into Hausa. For weeks they had been practicing these 
hymns in school. An angel choir broke the stillness of night on 
that first Christmas; and here in Africa, with all the silence of the 
bush about us, suddenly we were awakened by the voices of those 
we love on this Christmas—so many many years after the Babe 
was born in Bethlehem. Did it make us glad? More than words 





A Few Questions Answered 215 


can tell! No gold or silver could bring the joy that we had that 
night. We spoke little to each other, but we felt the force of the 
words, “My cup runneth over.” . 

That same night, after singing at our door, several of the older 
boys, accompanied by the teacher, walked in to Takum. They 
went to surprise the Christians there. It was surely a surprise 
to them at Takum, and they appreciated it that the Lupwe people 
walked four miles at midnight to come and give them this pleas- 
ure. Then the entire group, Takum Christians together with the 
delegation from Lupwe, went to the place of the chief and sang 
at the entrance of his compound. This was about two o’clock in 
the morning. Then they went to a few other compounds and 
sang Christmas carols at their entrance huts. After that the 
Takum people went to sleep, while the Lupwe folks walked four 
miles to get back home. 

As soon aS we missionaries were up in the morning, little 
voices were on hand to greet us with “Blessing to this Christmas 
Day!” Little presents were brought to us, sent by the older ones, 
and accompanied by little messages of love and greetings. 

After breakfast we all went in to Takum, to have a service 
there. The chapel was crowded that morning. Everybody was 
shining without because of large quantities of oil rubbed all over 
their body, but they were shining within with the spirit of the 
day as well. Such hearty singing! Such radiant faces! Such 
joyous greetings! And a special love-offering to show our grati- 
tude to Him Whose birthday we were celebrating! 

The Takum Christians arranged to have all the Lupwe pupils 
and others stay with them for the day. They arranged for a 
noon meal, and after that for games and play. 

We missionaries returned home, to have a quiet afternoon. 
We were inexpressibly happy! Had not the Lord Jesus promised 
that those who leave all for His sake and the gospel would 
receive in this life a hundred-fold reward. This fullness of joy— 
the joy of the Lord—the joy of seeing men and women truly 
transformed by the power of the gospel—this is the “hundred-fold 
reward.” 





Python and leopard in life and death struggle. See page 111. 


CHAPTER XXI 


“The night lies dark upon the earth, and we have light; 
So many have to grope their way, and we have sight; 
One path is theirs and ours—of sin and care, 

But we are borne along, and they their burden bear; 
Footsore, heart-weary, faint they on the way, 

Mute in their sorrow, while we kneel and pray; 
Glad are they of a stone on which to rest, 

While we lie pillowed on the Father’s breast. 


“Father, why ts it that these millions roam, 

And guess that that is Home, and urge their way? 
Is tt enough to keep the door ajar, 

In hope that some may see the gleam afar, 

And guess that that is Home, and urge their way 
To reach it haply, somehow and some day? 

May not I go, and lend them of my light? 

May not mine eyes be unto them for sight? 

May not the brother-love Thy love portray? 

And news of Home make Home less far away?” 


Rev. R. Wricut Hay 


PRADA AD ANAS AD AD AD AD AAS AS BN AS AS 


CHAPTER XXI 
PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES 


“The problems confronting us just now, friends, are like a mere 
ripple compared to the great waves of difficulty which are to roll 
down upon us as our work progresses.” So spoke one of the 
missionaries—who has been much used of God in the Sudan—at 
a Field Council meeting that I attended. For a long time I pon- 
dered upon this statement, made by a man of several years expe- 
rience, and the more I think of it, the more I see the truth and 
significance of that word. 

Should all the missionaries in Africa be asked: “‘What is the 
greatest problem confronting the messenger of the cross in this 
dark land?” I believe that, with very few exceptions, the answer 
would be: “Polygamy.” 

Polygamy is practised by the Mohammedans as well as by the 
heathen all over Africa. To my knowledge there is only one 
mission society in all Africa that will permit the sacrament of 
baptism being administered to a polygamist. 

Very often a man is kept waiting for ten years before he 
receives baptism, and that for no other reason except that he has 
more than one wife. It may be that he had these plural wives 
before he was converted, but even so, he is not allowed to enter 
the fellowship of the church until he comes to live with only 
one wife. 

Some people at home have thought that to be wrong policy 
on the part of the missionaries. If it were wrong policy, we 
could hardly think of so many missionary societies being guided 
to take such wrong action, and to enforce such wrong regulations 
for church membership. The fact that every society—with the 
exception of one small organization—is united in its opinion 


[219 


220 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


upon this matter, would help us to believe that this guidance was 
of the Holy Spirit. 

Supposing we tolerated polygamy. See what would result. 
A young unmarried man wants to make confession. He knows 
that if he does so at once, he will be allowed to have only one 
wife. He would naturally conclude that it would be to his advan- 
tage to wait three or four years. By that time he might have two 
wives, and then he would come and declare his allegiance to 
Christ. He would not be asked to give up one of his wives. 
Polygamy is profitable; and who will not seek personal gain? A 
man will likely have more children if he has more than one wife. 
The women will help him with the farm work; and so he can 
have a larger farm. Later on the children will also help him to 
farm, and to trade. A man having many wives and many children 
is looked upon as a “big man.” So he also gains honor for him- 
self. If a Christian were allowed to retain his many wives, where- 
in would our religion differ from Mohammedanism and the 
heathen religions? 

Now we do not tolerate polygamy. See then what difficulty is 
before the missionary. 

A man having four wives is converted. He asks permission to 
declare publicly his faith in Christ. This is granted; and he be- 
comes an inquirer. But he is told that he must put away three of 
his wives, and keep only one. I believe it is not always insisted 
upon that he keep the first wife. An easy way would be for that 
man to sell three of his wives as quickly as possible. May he 
sell them to become the second or third wife of some heathen 
man? Certainly not. Putting them out of polygamy with himself 
into the same state with another man would not be honoring to 
our Christian teaching. Sometimes a woman is very angry when 
her husband becomes a Christian, and she runs away to her par- 
ents. She asks her parents to find another husband for her. In 
such a case a Christian is not responsible for her action. On the 
other hand, supposing two of the four wives are converted and 
also publicly confess to follow the Lord Jesus. What is to be 
done then? He may choose one such Christian to remain with 
him, to be his only legal wife. But a place must be found for the 


Problems and Difficulties 221 


other Christian woman. These plural wives cannot be dismissed 
to live by themselves. With the state of morality as it is in 
Africa no woman can live pure for any length of time unless she 
knows that she is under authority. For a Christian to dismiss his 
plural wives without having made provision for them is like cast- 
ing them upon the street to become prostitutes. In the case of a 
Christian wife, he is bound by Christian duty to find a Christian 
husband for her. If she is young, this is not an impossibility. 
Young men are coming into the Christian church who are glad to 
find a Christian helpmate; and they are often not unwilling to 
take a woman who has been previously married. But the mission- 
ary will be expected to help in all these tangled matrimonial 
affairs. 

A further difficulty arises with the children. If a man has four 
wives, and each wife has borne him children, who are to claim 
possession of these children? Supposing a wife runs off to her 
parents, and takes her child with her. Will the Christian husband 
be permitted to claim that child? It is his child also; and becom- 
ing a Christian, dare he see his child brought up as a heathen? 
If one of his wives is converted, and he finds a Christian husband 
for her, will he let her take her children along? This is a very 
complicated problem. 

The solving of these problems depends largely upon the mis- 
sionary. He is the spiritual guide to the converts. The mission- 
ary, conscious of his weakness, depends upon the Holy Spirit 
to guide him aright. 

Closely related to this problem of polygamy is the difficulty 
of the marriage customs and marriage ceremonies. <A goodly 
number of young men, of marriageable age, are continually found 
among the group of believers. Being Christians, are we allowed 
to sanction their marrying heathen girls? In our district we are 
facing this problem at the present time. We know it is desirable 
that these young men shall marry Christian girls. But there are 
no Christian girls. The work is still in the earliest pioneer stage. 
Must we say to these young men: ‘Seeing there are no Christian 
girls, you must not marry.” We have no right to bind them in 


222 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


this fashion. Then there is only one thing left to do—and that 
is to permit them to take unto themselves heathen girls. They 
will have a very hard time to get the consent of heathen parents 
to marry their daughter to a Christian. In many tribes it is 
customary for sacrifices to be offered to the spirits previously to 
the girl’s marriage, asking the spirits to not withhold from her 
the blessing of motherhood. _ Heathen parents will ask the girl to 
take part in these sacrifices, and will always ask the young man 
who wishes to marry her whether he worships the spirits. 





Being a Christian, he will testify that he worships the true and 
living God, and that he will expect his wife to also abandon spirit 
worship. You can understand how few heathen would consent to 
their daughter marrying a Christian on this basis. 


We have had quite a few of our young men converts marry 
heathen girls. But I am thankful to say that in nearly every case 
the girl has come to believe in Jesus Christ, and has forsaken the 
worship of her parents. 


Here is a young man who gets the consent of the parents to 
marry their daughter. He begins to get the dowry ready. This 
dowry varies in different tribes. I already said that among the 
Dzompere the dowry is thirty sheep or thirty goats for a young 
unmarried girl. When the dowry is paid, there is an agreement 
made which cannot be broken that this girl is to be his wife. 
This agreement to us is like an engagement. But the young man 
has the right to call the girl his wife. The people outside also 
refer to her as “the wife of So and So.” But she is still with her 
parents. They keep her until such time as they decide it is fitting 
for her to go to the compound of her husband and take up the 
duties of a wife. When they send her away from her parental 
home a big feast will be made. This is the wedding. A public 
ceremony is performed. 


Now the young man claims that the girl is his legal wife as 
soon as he pays the dowry in full. The missionaries rather assert 
that she is not his wife until such time as the parents consent for 
her to go and live with him. Here is a serious difference of 
opinion. If, a few months after the public wedding, this girl 


Problems and Difficulties 223 


becomes mother, is the Christian husband subject to the discipline 
of the church or not? 

What kind of a ceremony do they have? Before a company 
of people the bride crawls to the groom and hands him a dish of 
food. By this act she declares herself willing to become his wife. 
He puts forth two hands to receive the dish of food from her, 
and by so doing he testifies that he accepts her as his wife and 
declares to be her husband. Each tribe will have its own customs 
and ceremonies. This is common in our district. 

Now this is altogether too loose. We must have something 
more binding and more honorable for our Christians. So we have 
the rule that every convert will be expected to have a Christian 
marriage ceremony. He must come with his wife in the chapel, 
and they must answer the same questions as are contained in the 
ceremony used at home. He must also declare before God, the 
minister and the congregation that he proposes with all his heart 
to live with one wife. Because of the peculiar tendency of the 
land toward polygamy we feel it a duty to add this obligation. 
The minister then pronounces upon them the blessing of the 
church. 

This sounds nice, but you will be surprised to hear that 
several of our Christians do not desire such a ceremony. They 
are not prepared to easily shake off all the customs of their fore- 
fathers, and throw them aside as dust. The government recog- 
nizes a native ceremony as being legal; and the man will often 
ask the missionary, “Do I need to be married twice over?” Also, 
the girl may be very ignorant, and we shall have to wait until she 
can be instructed as to the meaning of such a Christian ceremony, 
and what obligations it imposes upon her. She may stubbornly 
refuse to have such a binding ceremony. In the event that they 
refuse, what then? Then the inquirer or catechumen is taken off 
the roll until such time as he is willing to submit to the rules of 
the church. If he is a baptized member, he will be put under 
discipline and denied the privileges of the church: communion, 
dedication of his children; and he will not be permitted to have 
charge of any preaching services in the church or to be Sunday 
School teacher. 


224 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


Last November we had the first Christian marriage ceremony 
in our district. Two couples stood in the chapel before the 
minister and the congregation to take their vows and receive the 
blessing of the church. We thank God for this victory; and we 
take courage! 


In establishing a Christian church in a heathen land, we are 
continually confronted with the barriers of tribal custom. 

We do not wish to make a long list of laws forbidding this, 
that and the other thing. We want to emphasize a positive 
message—‘‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be 
saved.” But we find it necessary to enlighten our Christians on 
all matters wherein we have specific guidance in the Word of 
God. Due to the fact that they have not the whole Bible trans- 
lated in their own language, we must give them verbal rules 
which are found in Scripture. 

Take for example the custom of tribal marks. Nearly every 
tribe has certain peculiar marks to prove what tribe they belong 
to. A ten-day-old baby was brought to me one morning, and I 
counted no less than twelve marks on its body. These had been 
cut right into the flesh, and charcoal rubbed in to keep them 
distinct. I asked the mother when this was done, and she said 
that on the eighth day a man came and did it for them. It would 
be done over again when the child would become six months 
old, and then for a last time when the child would be about eight 
years old. It would then last for life, and everyone would know 
to what tribe that child belonged. There are marks for women as 
well as for men. 

What stand must the Christian church take here? We have 
an express command of the Lord to the children of Israel that 
they were not to mark their bodies. So we tell our Christians 
that they are not to mark the bodies of their children. In no way 
are they to brand themselves or their offspring. A Christian 
father comes to me and says: ‘*Then when my son grows up, no 
one will know to what tribe he belongs.’ Each man loves his 
own tribe; and it seems to me there is a little patriotism here. To 


Problems and Difficulties 225 


them the tribal marks are something like the Stars and Stripes to 
us. I must try to explain that in Christ Jesus, the Dzompere 
believer and the Jukun believer are one. And that God has 
expresssly commanded His children not to abuse the body— 
which He has created—with any form of unnecessary torture. 
They must be taught that it is impossible for them to improve 
upon the work of the Almighty by decorations and tribal marks. 
cd * * 

What about making tithing a rule in the African church? We 
do not have such a rule in our home church. When we make a 
rule we must demand enforcement. It becomes a_ serious 
matter when a church rule is broken. We are dealing with a 
“child race,” and they need to be dealt with as children. The 
missionaries are not agreed upon this matter of what rules we 
shall enforce upon the converts. At present we teach tithing; but 
we do not demand it. That is, we do not discipline a man if he 
is slack in this respect. Human nature is quite the same the 
world over. Even among these primitive peoples in Africa we 
find some with a generous spirit; and some who are otherwise. 

Already I told you about the rule of prohibition we have in 
our little flock. Not imposed upon the converts by the mission- 
ary, but decided by the baptized members. 

As yet we have no organized church in our district. We are 
in the pioneer stage. As soon as we organize a church, it will be 
necessary to frame a constitution. Such a constitution will con- 
tain “Rules and Regulations.” Already we are thinking of that 
day, though it seems a long way off. What a responsibility! To 
think of making a constitution that will be absolutely in harmony 
with the teachings of Holy Writ, and that will be a part of the 
foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ in that part of Africa! 
Surely the missionary needs wisdom from above. 


%* * * 


Another great problem before us is the training of leaders 
from among the converts. We look forward to the future when 
we shall have a native ministry. Today is the time to begin to 
plan for their training. It is impossible to take a few converts 


226 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


and send them home to enter our colleges and seminaries to 
receive training. We must arrange to have them educated on 
the field. 

Here is a man in our district—who has done at least five years 
faithful service as teacher-evangelist. He feels called to give his 
life to definite evangelistic work. How long must he serve before 
we can trust him to perform some of the special duties in the 
church? He now serves as elder, and also as evangelist. When 
will he be promoted? That is, when will we permit him to have 
charge of such a service as “dedicating the children of believ- 
ers?” This is a public ceremony in the chapel, and thus far con- 
ducted only by an ordained missionary. How many years must 
this evangelist serve before he can become pastor or ordained 
minister, and be permitted to administer the sacraments. 

Most of the missionaries agree that an evangelist must serve in 
that capacity, with a clean record, at least twenty years, before 
he can be ordained to the ministry. This I believe is the rule of 
the Reformed Church of South Africa in their work in Nyassa- 
land. During this time the evangelist must receive training. 

For such training we must have a special staff of workers. It 
is utterly impossible for a missionary who has the responsibility 
of the running of a station to give many hours each day to train 
such leaders. This work of training leaders is so important for 
the future progress of the work that we cannot afford to neglect 
it at the present time. However short of staff, we must make 
provision for the training of evangelists, who will eventually 
become the ministers among the people. 

An ideal way is to have theoretical and practical training 
combined. A pupil would get one year of intensive school work, 
followed by two years of practical work under the supervision 
of a missionary. Then he would get a second year of school 
work, followed by three years of practical. The third year of 
school work should be followed by five years of practical. 

An evangelist is always expected to have charge of a school if 
he is placed at an out-station, and thus his training should also 
include an extensive course in “pupil-teacher”’ work, under the 
supervision of an educational worker. 


Problems and Difficulties 227 


Surely your picture of a missionary standing comfortably 
under a palm tree—Bible in hand—surrounded by a group of 
heathen has changed. 

There is no more glorious work in all the world than being 
called to be a messenger for the King. Is there a work that 
involves greater responsibility? Christian work has been called 
“the Service Royal.” So it is. To be enlisted in the Service 
Royal one must be continually arrayed in the “whole armor of 
God”; 


“Praying always with all eye and suppli- 
cation in the Spirit. 


“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, 
but against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of the darkness of this 
world, against spiritual wickedness in high 
places. : 








The baby of the boarding school. See page 213. 


CHAPTER XXII 


“He shall see of the travail of His 
soul, and shall be satisfied.” 


CHAPTER XXII 
SiS eLLeNO FHINGZFORYOUT: 


We are living in the year 1926 A.D., faced with the fact that 
more than one-half the population of the world is still untouched’ 
by any missionary effort whatsoever. Over half the people in 
the world have never had an opportunity to hear of Jesus Christ. 
Is it nothing to you? 

* * * 

Each year thousands upon thousands of people must pass 
through the dark valley of death without ever having heard the 
name of Jesus—that “Name all other names excelling.” All their 
life they spent sitting in darkness, and alas, they die without ever 
having seen the faintest glimmer of the Light of Christ. Js it 
nothing to you? 

* * * 

“The world’s great heart is aching” because of oppression; 
idolatry; false and superstitious religions; cruel bloodshed; disease 
without remedy; plague without help; sorrow without hope; 
physical torture without sympathy; painful suffering without 
balm; death without Jesus. Js it nothing to you? 


ak * * 


For centuries the great heart of Africa has been groaning in 
silence. Only very recently are we entering in with the Sword 
of the Spirit, proclaiming to these millions, that God can heal 
their wounds, and forgive their sin. And many who sit in dark- 
ness and in the valley of death are seeing Jesus—the Light of 
the world. 

We are indeed grateful that the chains of slavery are ceasing 
to be used, but let us remember that giving the captive physical 
liberty does not set his soul free. There is still the bondage of 


[ 281 ] 


232 Pioneering for Christ in the Sudan 


spiritual slavery. Only Jesus Christ can snap the coils that bind 
a person to that great master Slave-Dealer, the Devil. 

I have told you of some who are turning to the light, who are 
entering into the glorious liberty of Christ, but, compared to the 
great masses of people, they are very few. Is it the “sound of 
marching in the tops of the mulberry trees” assuring us that 
victory is near? 

“Ride on, O King Eternal 


93 
° 


We have been forced to close some of our stations because of 
lack of funds and lack of missionaries. At other stations the 
staff has been cut down. This is the cry everywhere today. The 
largest denominations in America—faced with a growing deficit 
in their missionary effort—will have to call home a great number 
of workers from the different fields next year. With all the 
luxury that we have in our beloved homeland today, must the 
cause of Christ thus suffer loss? 

And away out there in Africa are still many tribes absolutely 
untouched—thousands of villages unreached—millions of people 
unacquainted with the message of salvation. Is it nothing to you? 


* * * 


As you see your children in all the excitement and joy of 
Christmas open their parcels; and as you hear them sing the 
beautiful carols—remember that there are millions of children 
who do not know of the King and His birthday. 


cg % sd 


As you see your little girl of ten or twelve enjoying education, 
play, the comforts of a home, the affection of parents—think for 
a minute of the thousands of little girls who are not older than 
your child, but who are already bargained for to be married. 


* * * 


And when your daughter in her early ’teens is being carefully 
shielded from every disorderly influence—remember that 
Africa, little girls, no older than she is, are sitting with their 


own baby in their arms. 


“Is It Nothing to You?” 233 


When you thus ponder over the privileges that are our portion, 
due to the fact that we have the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and 
you compare the state of these others, then heed the words of 
Jesus: | 


“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
that He would send forth laborers into His 
harvest.” 


You ask me is the outlook then so very dark? We answer that 
the long night of heathendom is dark indeed; is cruel beyond 
expression. The outlook as viewed by the human eye is well-nigh - 
hopeless. 

But, Blessed be God, there is something greater and higher 
than the outlook. We have the uplook. We see Jesus, crowned 
Victory. We see all the purposes of God realized. We see the 
last of His sheep brought into the fold. We see each promise of 
Scripture gloriously fulfilled. We ask: “Watchman, what of the 
night? Watchman, what of the night?” By faith we look up and 
hear an assuring answer to our question. 


ST hesnorninescomethe eae ee 











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